Bits and Things
by jellybean96
Summary: Collection of one-shots revolving around my OTP: Skyeward. Ranging from all different sorts of things. I am open to suggestions/prompts.
1. Balloons

**Hey babes! Here's the first of many for my new collection of drabbles/one-shots for Skyeward. This one is inspired by a picture that I saw online a while back.****I think it's pretty cute.**

**And I feel like we all might need a bit of cheerin up after tonight's episode. Especially that one kinda creepy scene in that hotel room. You know what I'm talking bout if you've seen the episode. So because of that craziness, I present you with this cute little one-shot.**

**Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

She lives for the moments like these. The sweet, simple moments that can pass by in the blink of an eye if you aren't paying enough of your attention to it. She watches everything that is happening in front of her with a soft smile on her face. It's a cool autumn day, not cold for a heavy coat, but not warm enough to not wear a light jacket. The breeze is barely blowing, just enough so that she has to brush her hair back every so often.

"What are you smiling about?" Her husband asks her as they walk along the sidewalk away from the park and back towards their home, their arms wrapped around one another.

"Look at the kids," she says, gesturing to their two young children walking a few steps in front of them.

He glances forward for a quick moment, and then back to his wife, "Yes, they're walking. But it's not like it's either of their first steps. So why exactly is that making you smile?"

She shrugs, "I don't know, Grant. I guess I'm just trying to get in every moment that I can before they grow up and start fighting with each other over the stupidest things."

He chuckles, "Skye, babe, you're overacting. We don't know if they're going to be the siblings who fight with each other. Maybe they'll surprise us and actually get along with one another as they grow up."

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see," Skye sighs, leaning into Grant's embrace. He leans his head on the top of hers, pressing a quick kiss to the top of it.

"B'loon! B'loon!"

Both Grant and Skye lift their heads to see their daughter, Izzy, looking towards the sky and pointing up. Looking where she is pointing, they see her balloon bouquet that she got moments earlier from the vendor at the park, floating up into the blue sky above them.

"Oh no," Skye says, getting ready to step forward to comfort her two year old daughter.

"Hang on," Grant says, tightening his hold on her. "Watch." Grant points to their two kids and Skye stops to watch them.

Their five year old son, Andy, is standing in front of his sister, his head bent down towards her. They can see that he is talking to her, but they can't quite pick out what he is saying.

They watch as he hugs her, rubbing her back slightly. Then he pulls away from her and says something else to her. He reaches to his left wrist, untying his own bouquet of balloons. He grabs Izzy's right hand in his own and carefully ties the balloons to her wrist, making sure that it is tied tight enough to stay, but not tight enough to hurt her. Once he has it tied correctly on her wrist, after fumbling for a moment with the thing string, he grabs her hand in his and then the two of them start walking again.

"Okay, that was really, really cute," Skye says as she and Grant start walking again as well.

"Yes it was," Grant agrees with a smile on his face.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Leave me a review down below. I'd love to know what you thought. **

**And if you have any prompts for me, feel free to submit them. :) I can't promise to use all of them, as my muse doesn't always get ideas for everything, but I'll try my best. You can submit words, phrases, first lines, pictures, songs, etc. Just nothing explicit or things like that. Thanks! :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	2. Birthing Hips

**Hey babes! Got a new one for ya! I figure we probably need this after the crazy ride that was last night's episode. Although by the sound and look of it, next week is going to be even crazier. But nonetheless, I present you with this new, fluffy chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Skye, come on! We need to get on the road now if we want to get there on time!" 25 year old Grant Ward yells through the front door of the small house he shares with his fiancé Skye.

"Okay, okay. I'm coming. No need to get all crazy and stuff." Skye appears in the hallway, a small bag on one shoulder as she stuffs a few more things into it. She stops once she reaches him and looks up, "Ready?"

"I've been ready for the last twenty minutes. I've just been waiting for you."

Skye rolls her eyes, "Whatever. Let's go. We don't need your mother chewing our heads off because we're late. Again."

Grant smiles and grabs her hand, pulling her out the front door and towards the car. He opens her door for her and lets her get in, shutting the door after her. He walks around the front of the car to the driver's side, climbs in, closes the door and puts the key into the ignition to start the car. Slowly, Grant pulls forward out of the driveway and onto the road. A four hour car ride to his parents place for their first family reunion as an engaged couple, and Skye's first one all together. She was never able to go to one before because of previously arranged events or work. She's met his parents before, but his sister and two brothers and their families don't live in town. So now it's just the matter of meeting the rest of his family, and hopefully, if everything goes well, they'll all love her.

* * *

*4 hours later*

Grant pulls up behind a silver minivan and shuts the car off, pulling the keys out of the ignition. He sits back in his seat and looks over, smiling at the sight of his fiancé asleep in the seat next to him. She had fallen asleep after the first hour claiming to be bored out of her mind. And as much as Grant wanted her awake during the trip so he wouldn't feel lonely, he decided that it would be the best for the both of them, though mainly himself, if he let her sleep. Especially if she is going to have to put up with his crazy and ridiculous family.

He leans over and places a hand on her shoulder and shakes her gently, "Skye? It's time to get up. We're here."

Skye slowly opens her eyes, letting them readjust to the light outside. "Okay. Time to meet the rest of your family," she says with a slight groan.

Grant rolls his eyes, "Oh they're not that bad."

"It they are anything at all like you then they will be," she teases.

"Stop complaining and let's go." Grant sits back in his seat and opens his door behind him. He goes around the front of the car and opens Skye's door for her, letting her climb out. He opens the back door, reaching into the backseat to grab out his and Skye's suitcases, pulling them out and closing the door.

"You ready?" He asks her as he turns to smile at her and hands her her own suitcase.

She sighs and accepts the suitcase from him, "I guess."

"Relax Skye, just be yourself. If the rest of my family is anything like me, then they'll love you instantaneously. Just like I did." He gives her a flashy smile and presses a kiss to the side of her head.

"Stop being cheesy," she says back with a smile.

Grant grabs her hand in his and pulls her towards the front door, eager for his family to meet the woman he is going to be spending the rest of his life with.

"I'm home!" Grant exclaims as he and Skye enter his parents' house. A few seconds later, the pitter patter of tiny feet can be heard across the floor.

"Uncle Grant!" Five small children come running down the hallway. Grant motions to Skye to give him a minute as he steps away from her and squats down to their height. Holding his arms out, he manages to balance himself as he is almost tackled to the ground by the five child bodies attaching themselves to him in hugs.

"Hey guys," Grant laughs at the five children. They pull back from the hug but stay standing in front of him. Skye gets a better look at the children and can see two dark haired little boys and three little girls, two with slightly lighter hair than the two boys and the other with the exact same dark as the boys.

"Uncle Grant, come play with us!" One of the little boys says excitedly, jumping up and down. The other four kids agree and begin jumping up and down as well. A medium height woman enters down the hallway towards them, drying her hands on a dish towel, "Kids, leave your Uncle alone so he can go and unpack. You can play with him in a little while. Now go in the living room." The five children reluctantly agree and then head off into the living room, leaving the three adults by themselves.

"Sorry about that Grant," the woman says, "They've been bugging me and Joey for hours about when you were going to get here."

Grant shrugs, "It's okay Mandy. No harm done." Skye clears her throat off to the side and Grant turns his head, smiling at her. "Oh, sorry honey. Come here." He holds out one of his hands to her and she steps forward, accepting his hand. She returns his smile and they both turn to face Mandy. "Mandy, this is my fiancé, Skye Conrad. Skye, this is my older sister Amanda Johnson."

"Hi Amanda," Skye says, holding her hand out to the older woman.

Mandy smiles and moves Skye's hand away, pulling her in for a hug, "This family is all hugs, Skye. And Amanda is so formal, call me Mandy."

Mandy releases Skye from the hug, who smiles at Mandy, "Alright, Mandy."

"Is that my favorite brother I hear?"

Grant smiles at the man entering the hallway, "I wouldn't let Joey hear you saying that if I were you."

"Eh. He knows I like him slightly less." He lets a smile grace his face, "It's great to see you again, Grant." He steps forward, pulling Grant into a hug.

Grant hugs him back, "It's great to see you too, Andy."

When they pull from the hug, Andy's eyes fall upon Skye, "And who is this beauty?"

"Andy, this is Skye, my fiancé. Skye, this is Andrew, my baby brother."

"Well I'm hardly a baby anymore."

"You'll always be the baby of the family, Andy," Mandy speaks up.

"It's great to meet you, Andy," Skye says.

"You too," Andy smiles at her. "I'm glad my brother finally found someone who could put up with him."

"I'm not that difficult to be around," Grant defends himself.

"Please babe," Skye speaks up. "I have so many pet peeves when it comes to you. I just keep them to myself because I know you're a whiner."

"Grant, I like her already." Andy says with a wide smiles. "I think she's going to fit in just perfectly."

"Okay, okay. I get it. Hey, is mom in the kitchen?"

Mandy nods her head, "Yep. Now, if you'd excuse me, I think I just heard a crash from somewhere, so I'm going to go and make sure mine and Joey's children haven't killed each other. Yet. It was great to meet you Skye."

"You too, Mandy," Skye says back as Mandy, hurries off in another direction, in search of her children.

"I'll take your bags upstairs," Andy offers. He bends down and picks up both suitcases, "Mom put the two of you in your old room, Grant. Though she did tell me to remind you both that there are children staying in this house, so no having sex in the house."

Skye's eyes widen and Grant frowns, "Mom never said that."

Andy grins, "No she did not. But it still rings true. I don't think Mandy and Joey want their kids to be scarred for life hearing something that they didn't need to hear." Skye blushes this time.

"Well, thank you for offering to take our bags upstairs, Andy. That is very kind of you."

"Anything for my favorite brother," he smiles before turning to the stairs and making his way up them.

"Sorry about him," Grant turns to Skye. "I forgot to mention that Andy can be a little…well, Andy."

"It's fine," Skye assures him. "Really."

"Okay. Now come on, let's go see mom," Grant says, tugging Skye along.

"It's a really good thing I love your mom." Grant gives her a smile and drags her through the house, towards the kitchen.

"Mom?" He calls out.

"In here."

"Hey mom," Grant greets as he walks into the kitchen, Skye entering behind him.

"Grant," his mom replies, enveloping him in a hug.

"Hey Sophia," Skye says from off to the side.

"Skye," Sophia smiles. "Come here," she pulls her in for a hug which Skye gladly returns. "Have you met Grant's siblings yet?" She asks Skye when she pulls from the hug.

"I met Andy and Mandy," Skye says. "They're both really nice. Haven't met Joey yet, though."

"Oh, well, I'm sure you'll meet him before the day is out."

"I'm looking forward to it," Skye smiles.

"Hey mom, is dad here?"

"Yes. He's down in the den. Why don't you go and say hi."

"Okay. Come on, Skye," he says, holding his hand out for Skye to take. She accepts his hand and they begin to leave the room when Sophia stops them.

"Skye, why don't you stay up here and help me with lunch? You can say hello to Roger later."

"Umm. Okay," Skye looks at Grant. "I guess I'll see you later then." She leans up to place a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Oh, watch out for Gramsy if she shows up before I get back," Grant whispers in Skye's ear. "She's extremely blunt and straight forward. So be careful."

"Thanks for the warning," Skye smiles.

"No problem," Grant smiles back. "Have fun."

"I will." Grant walks off in the direction of the den and Skye turns back around to face Sophia. She walks over to her and leans back against one of the counters.

"You two are just so cute," Sophia says, causing Skye to blush slightly.

"Thanks," Skye says, "I think."

"Come here," Sophia waves her hand for Skye to come closer. "You can start on the fruit salad."

"Okay," Skye walks to the opposite counter that Sophia is at and begins the work on the fruit salad.

* * *

"Hey mom."

Looking up from what she and Sophia are doing, Skye sees a tall man entering the kitchen. He looks very much like Grant and Andy, so she assumes this is the final Ward sibling, Joey.

"Joey," Sophia smiles at her eldest son. "When did you get back?"

"Just now," he smiles. He takes a deep breath, "Lunch smells great. And I'm sure it'll taste just as good."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Sophia smiles. "Now, I don't believe you've met Skye yet." The woman grips her son by the shoulders, turning him so that he is facing Skye.

"Hello," he says, holding his hand out. "I'm Joseph, Grant's oldest brother. But you can just call me Joey."

Skye takes his hand, "Hi Joey. I'm Skye, Grant's fiancé."

"So you're the one, huh?"

"I guess so," Skye replies.

"Well, welcome to the family, Skye." He gives her a soft smile.

"Thanks," she smiles back.

Joey turns back to his mom, "Is dad down in the den?"

"Yes. And Grant is down there too."

"Awesome. Thanks mom," he leans forward and presses a kiss to her cheek before leaving the kitchen.

* * *

"And that was the last time Grant ever did that," Mandy finishes, laughing along with everyone else, except for Grant.

"I thought we were never going to bring that up again," Grant pouts.

"Come on, Grant," Mandy says. "Don't you think the girl you're going to marry should know every little thing about you?"

"Yeah," Skye says from her spot on Grant's lap. Her arms are wrapped around his neck, her legs hanging sideways off of the chair, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, "I am really loving these stories. I've never heard any of them before."

"That's because I made a point of never telling them to you. I didn't want to scare you away."

"Grant, you've known me for years. You had to have known that I wouldn't have run, I would have laughed my head off."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side," Grant says.

"When it comes to teasing you? Please, you know what side I'm on," she gives him a sly smile.

He sighs, "Yeah, I know."

"Good," she pats his cheek and then gives it a small kiss.

"I really like this one, Grant," Mandy laughs. "She knows where it's at." She looks directly at Skye, "Some of his crushes and girlfriends in the past never teased him; they were little Barbie dolls practically. One of his girlfriends flat out refused to get down and dirty when we asked her to join us in a game of tackle football when our cousins were in town once."

Skye's eyes light up, "Are you guys gonna play that this weekend? Cause I totally want in."

"You want to play tackle football?" Mandy asks. Skye nods her head. "I should warn that it's not like normal tackle football. Ours is way more brutal."

"She can handle it," Grant informs his sister. "She used to play tackle charades with her foster brothers."

"What's that?" One of Grant's cousins says.

"It's like regular charades," Skye begins. "But it's way more brutal. I even have a few scars from playing it."

"Skye," Joey speaks up, "I think you're going to fit in perfectly with this family."

"I think so too," Grant says as he wraps his arms tighter around Skye and pulls her closer, kissing the top of her head.

* * *

"Guys, I think that was the best game of tackle football ever." Grant's cousin, Michael, says as everyone makes their way to the back porch of the house.

"I'll second that," Andy says. "And I'll be the first to say that Skye was definitely the best player out there."

"All in favor of making Skye the MVP raise your right hand," Mandy says, tucking the game ball under her left arm and raising her right hand into the air. Everyone else raises their right hand as well, huge smiles on all of their faces.

"Then it's settled," Sophia says from her spot on the porch. "The first ever MVP of the Ward Family Reunion Tackle Football Game is Skye Conrad!"

Everyone cheers as Grant wraps Skye in a side hug, leaving his arm wrapped around her waist.

"Thanks guys," she says.

"Oh! Hey mom?" Grant shouts.

"Yes?"

"When is Gramsy getting here?"

"She should be here soon."

"Okay."

"Did someone say Gramsy?!" All heads turn to the back door to see an older woman standing in the doorway of the house, a big smile on her face.

"Gramsy!" All the kids, including Grant, Mandy, Andy, and their cousins and spouses, shout, running towards her as she steps down. They all engulf her in a hug which she gladly accepts.

When they pull away, all the younger kids start spouting off different things to tell her, one right after the other. "Hang on a second," Gramsy says, looking up from the kids for a moment and turning her gaze to where Skye stands across the yard. She makes her way through the crowd of people and towards Skye, "Who is this young thing? I don't recognize her."

"Gramsy," Grant says, walking up to the two women, "this is Skye, my fiancé. Skye, this is Gramsy, Marianne."

"Nice to meet you, Marianne," Skye says.

"Oh, please," Marianne says, "You're basically family already, call me Gramsy."

"Okay," Skye smiles, "Gramsy it is."

"Good," Marianne replies, giving Skye a hug and then pulls back. "Now let me get a good look at you." She stands back a little and eyes Skye up and down. "Turn." Skye does so, turning slowly, and then stands back in front of Marianne.

"Favorite color?"

"Excuse me?" Skye asks, slightly perplexed.

"It's a simple question with a simple answer, what is your favorite color?"

"Purple."

"Favorite food?"

"Homemade pizza."

"Any siblings?"

"Four foster brothers. All of them older."

"Favorite subject in school?"

"Computer Sciences."

"Hobbies?"

"Messing around my computer, playing tackle charades with my brothers, teasing Grant relentlessly."

"What do you do for work?"

"I'm the head of the IT department at a Fortune 500 company."

"How long have you known Grant?"

"Since freshman year of college."

"How long have the two of you been together?"

"About four years."

"Do you love him?"

"More than my laptop."

Marianne pauses for a moment and takes in the information, "Well," she begins, "my grandson definitely picked a good girl this time. You are definitely the perfect girl for him. And you are a beauty. Naturally, of course. None of those orange girls who followed him around. You are absolutely gorgeous," she steps a little closer, "and you have the most amazing hips I have ever seen. Those are definitely some birthing hips right there. Speaking of, when am I getting my next great-grand baby?" She eyes both Skye and Grant.

Grant's eyes go wide as Skye blushes, "Um, we haven't really discussed it yet Gramsy." Grant says, saving Skye. He wraps an arm around Skye's waist, "We're not getting married until the Spring. We don't plan on kids until after that."

"Fine," she sighs, "but I want one from you two before I die."

"Yes Gramsy," Grant says, chuckling. Marianne walks away to go make conversation with someone else while Grant just stands there with Skye who is still recovering from her interrogation from Grant's grandmother.

"Well, that was interesting," Skye says "When I came here, I was not expecting to be interrogated."

"But the good thing is that she likes you."

"Yeah, whatever, let's go do something."

* * *

"Everybody loves you," Grant says as he pulls back the covers of the bed and sits down.

"You really think so?" Skye says as she is in the bathroom removing her make-up.

"Oh I know so." Skye walks out of the bathroom. "There is no doubt in my mind that they didn't at least like you." Skye sits down on the bed next to Grant. "They made you the first ever MVP of our tackle football game, you kept my nieces and nephews entertained when they were starting to get antsy, you even cracked jokes about me. Relentlessly. That last one definitely put you at the top of their list."

"Wow," Skye says, "that's great. They seem to love me more than you."

"I wouldn't count on that."

"Please, your nieces and nephews wanted to play with me more than they did you."

"Whatever, that's beside the point."

"Is it?"

"Yes, and let's not forget the hardest person to impress in this family."

"Gramsy?" Skye asks nervously.

"Gramsy," Grant says with a smile. "She loves you."

Skye groans and falls forward, so her face is buried in the blanket, "She only loves me for my hips."

"Well, she has the right idea. Your hips are pretty magnificent."

Without sitting up, Skye reaches back and slaps Grant's arm, "Shut up," she says, but it is muffled by the bed.

"Come on, baby. Don't be like that." Grant says, leaning forward so he is lying slightly on top of Skye. "Cheer up." He takes his hands and places them on Skye's sides.

She stiffens, "Don't you dare."

"I'm gonna do it."

"Don't," Skye says, but then bursts out laughing as Grant begins to tickle her.

"Grant!" She screams as she flails around the bed, "Knock it off!"

"Not a chance," he smiles, continuing to tickle her. He continues to tickle her while she squirms and wiggles, trying to get out of his grasp, but does not succeed.

By the time he is finished tickling her, she is lying on her back on the bed, breathing heavily from laughing so hard. And Grant is hovering above her, on his hands and knees, laughing as well. He quickly leans forward, pressing his lips to hers. When he pulls away, she just looks up at him.

"What was that for?"

"I remembered what Gramsy said earlier."

"About what?"

"About wanting another great grand-baby," he smirks. "Figured we might as well practice a little, for when we actually start trying for that baby."

"Hmm," Skye says, putting her hand to her chin. She looks at Grant and smiles, "I'm game if you are."

Grant smiles wider, "I thought you'd never ask." And with that, he leans forward, kissing her passionately. She kisses him back, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and pulling him down towards her. All the while, of course, keeping as quiet as possible.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. **

**Also, quick note. To those of you who are reading _Luck of the Draw_. I am going on vacation this weekend, leaving today, and I cannot guarantee that I will have a new chapter up on Saturday. I will try my hardest to put one up, but if I cannot, then please be understanding. Thank you!**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	3. The Letter

**Hey babes! So, I really feel like we all might need some cute stuff after last night's episode. Because holy crap, that was ridiculous. Almost cried a couple of times. So crazy, and kudos to everyone who worked on that episode.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Prompt: "I wrote you that letter but you were never supposed to get it"_

* * *

"Hey Grant," the British woman speaks as she enters the glass office. "Are you ready to go yet?"

Looking up from his laptop, Grant smiles at his foster sister, "Jemma. Thank goodness you're here."

"You seem very happy to see me," she says to him, falling down onto one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'm always happy to see you, baby sis," he smiles at her.

"And I you, big bro," she smiles back. "But it seems like today you are especially happy to see me."

"That's because it'd be hard to explain this in a text. I have to rush off to a meeting; it should only be an hour, hour and a half at the most." At seeing her disappointed face, he continues quickly, "I know I promised you we'd go to my place and watch the latest episode of _Doctor Who_, but this meeting is really, really important. It is with a very important client and apparently the guy they had lined up to do the presentation didn't show up. So they need me to step in and do it instead."

"I really want to hate you right now," Jemma says as she narrows her eyes at him.

"No you don't," he smiles, closing his laptop and standing up. "But I promise you that as soon as I get back from my meeting we'll go to my apartment and watch _Doctor Who_."

"Fine," Jemma sighs. "But can we stop at the store on the way there and pick up some sweets?"

"You know, it's a really good thing that I love you," he smiles down at her.

She leans her head against the back of the chair, looking up at him with a smile. "You can't help but love me, Grant."

"You're right," he says, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. "Now, there are snacks in the break room, help yourself, like always." He makes his way to the office door. "Oh, and there are some letters on the table over there," he gestures off to the side. "If you wouldn't mind just taking them down to the mailboxes and sorting them out for me, you would be a big help."

"You got it, bro," she calls to him as he makes his way out of his office, closing the door behind him. Standing up from the chair, Jemma makes her way over to the table in the corner of the room near the window. Stopping in front of the table, she sighs at the lack of organization on it. She reaches forward, instantly locating the few envelops sitting on the desk, already addressed to the proper employee within the building.

Picking up the small stack of letters, she begins to turn around when another envelope catches her eye. It is tucked underneath of one of the many books littering her brother's office. Figuring he must have just tossed the book on top of it without thinking, she pulls the letter out from underneath the book. Glancing at the front to make sure there is a name on it, she adds it to the small stack of envelopes in her hand. Turning towards the office door, she makes her way out and then towards the elevator that will take her down to the lobby.

* * *

Stepping out of the elevator, Jemma makes her way to the front desk. "Hello Mack," she greets the man behind the counter.

Looking up from his computer the large man smiles at her, "Jemma Simmons. Didn't you just come through here a few minutes ago on your way up to your brother's office?"

"I did," she tells him. "But unfortunately, Grant had to run to a last minute meeting and he asked if I would sort these letters into their proper boxes."

"Come on back," he smiles, standing up to open the small gate for her, allowing her access to the mailboxes.

"Thank you so much," she tells him, moving over to the employee mailboxes.

* * *

"Alright," Grant claps his hands once as he enters the office, "meeting is over. The client loved me. Deal was made. I'm awesome. You ready to go?"

Jemma smiles and rolls her eyes at her older brother. She stands up from the chair she had been occupying, swinging her purse onto her shoulder, "Yes. I am very ready to watch _Doctor Who_. I heard that this episode is supposed to be pretty dark."

"Then how are we going to see anything?"

Jemma blinks her eyes once at him. "You know what I mean," she says blandly.

Grant chuckles, "I know. Sorry. I couldn't resist."

"Yeah, well, hurry up and get whatever you need. I need to see this episode very badly."

"I think you'll survive a few minutes longer," Grant tells his anxious sister, beginning to gather his things. "The television set isn't going anywhere."

She rolls her eyes, "I know that. But you know how much I—"

"Love your _Doctor Who_. Yes I know. You forced me to watch every available episode with you when we were growing up."

"Only because you had never experienced how wonderful it is and someone needed to show you."

Grant chuckles again, moving over to the table in the corner. Picking up the book on the table to put it in his bag, his hand stills and he stares down at the empty space of table under the book.

"Hey Jem?" He calls over to his sister, "Did you take those letters down to the mailboxes?"

"Yes Grant. I took all of the letters down and personally sorted them into their boxes. Just like you asked me to do."

"Great. And did you by any chance see an envelope that was sitting underneath of this book?"

Jemma looks over at the book he's holding up. "Yeah," she tells him, "I took it down with the rest of the letters." Grant's face falls and Jemma instantly gets worried. "Was I not supposed to take that letter?"

"No," Grant tells her. "That letter wasn't supposed to be put into a mailbox."

"Then why was it lying on your desk? If you didn't want it sent out, you should have told me." Grant groans, wiping his hands down his face. "What exactly was in that letter anyway?"

"I did that thing you told me to do," he says to her. "The whole, write it down but don't send it, thing."

"You did?" Grant nods his head. "Good for you," she smiles.

"Yeah. Thanks. But now you put the letter in her box and she's going to read it and it's just going to be embarrassing for the both of us."

"I'm sorry, Grant. But maybe—"

"What if she hasn't left yet?" He asks no one in particular. "Maybe I can get the letter from her box before she has a chance to read it." He quickly moves past Jemma and out the door of his office.

* * *

When he gets down to the main floor, he rushes over to the front desk, stopping in front of it. "Mack," he speaks, getting the man's attention.

Mack looks up and smiles at Grant, "Grant, hey. What can I do for you?"

"Has Skye left yet? Has she come by to grab her mail yet?" He asks, getting more and more nervous by the second.

"She actually came by about 10 minutes ago."

"Damn," he says under his breath, hitting the palm of his hand on the top of the counter.

"Is everything okay?" Mack questions, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah," Grant sighs, running a hand down his face. "Everything's fine." _I just really hope she doesn't read that letter._

* * *

"I'm home!" Skye calls out to her roommate as she enters their apartment. She hangs her keys on the hook by the door, toeing her shoes off and shoving them against the wall.

"Hey Skye," her roommate, Bobbi, says as she walks out of her room and into the kitchen. "I'm going to make some coffee, you want some?"

Skye looks up at her friend to see her wearing nothing but an old t-shirt, her hair disheveled. "Is Lance over?" She questions.

"Why would you think that?" Bobbi asks innocently, starting up the coffee maker.

Skye rolls her eyes, "Whatever. But yeah, I'd love some coffee."

"Kay. What do you have there?" Bobbi asks her, motioning with her head to the stack of letters in Skye's hand.

"Just a few things that were in my mailbox at work," Skye tells her friend, sitting down on the couch and setting the small pile in her lap.

"Oh, okay."

Turning her attention to the stack of letters, Skye begins sorting through them. There are a few from different departments at work, probably asking her to fix something again. There are a few subscription notices that she immediately ignores. But the last one catches her attention.

It's a pristine white envelope with her name messily scrawled across the front of it in black ink. There is no return address at the top, so she doesn't know who at work put it in her box.

Turning the envelope over, Skye breaks the seal, pulling a single sheet of paper out of the envelope. The letter is written in the same black ink that was on the front of the envelope. She thinks the handwriting looks somewhat familiar, but she begins reading quietly to herself.

_Skye._

_Well, I don't really know how to start this letter. I don't exactly plan on you seeing this so I guess it doesn't really matter how I start this, or what I say in it. I don't even know how much I'm going to say._

_It was actually a friend of mine who suggested that I do this. Apparently it's supposed to help you. You write down in a letter what you wish you could say to someone, but you don't actually send it. I thought it was weird sounding at first, but this is actually helping me._

_So anyways, I like you. As in like-like. (Man, that sounds so elementary school). I have for a while now; I just haven't found the guts to ask you out on a date. I don't know why either. I guess I'm just not very good at asking people out. I'm not much of a people person. Which is kind of weird, considering I'm a huge part of this company. And I always have to talk to people, which I seem to be fine with. But then when it comes to talking to you, I always stumble over my words. You've come by my office a few times to help me with my computer and I'm sure that I sound like a bloody idiot whenever I speak. (Sorry about the weird word, I'm very close with someone from the UK)._

_Anyways, uh, would you like to go out to dinner with me sometime? I know a great place that serves really good food. Or we can do something else if you don't want to do dinner. Whatever works for you._

_Okay, well, I think I'm going to stop writing now, before I start telling you my whole life story by accident._

_And since you're never going to read this, I think I'm good. Just going to shred this letter, or burn it probably, so that no one can piece it together. Oh man, now it sounds like I regret writing this, which I don't. Because I'm talking to you, without actually talking to you. Not sure if that's necessarily healthy, though._

_Alright, going to end this letter now._

_-Grant Ward_

Folding the letter up and placing it down on the coffee table in front of her, Skye thinks for a moment.

Then she pulls her phone out and dials the first number she can think of, one of her friends in the IT department.

"Lis," she says into her phone, "I have a very important task for you to do tomorrow at work."

* * *

Hearing a knock on his office door, Grant looks up to see Skye standing in the doorway, a small smile on her face. "Computer troubles?" She asks as she enters the room.

"Unfortunately," he sighs, leaning back in his desk chair. "I honestly have no idea what happened this time. Usually it's just the screen freezing, or a virus or something. But this time, I turned it on, started to work, and then the entire screen went black. Just like that. It was fully charged and everything. So I don't know what happened."

"Alright, just give me a few minutes and then hopefully it'll be up and running like new." She walks around behind his desk as he stands from his chair to give her the room he needs to work.

"Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me until it's done," she tells him as she pulls out her own computer and connects it to his.

He waits a moment for her to get started on her work before he speaks again, "Hey, so, um, I have a quick question for you."

"What is it?" She asks, not looking up from the two laptops in front of her.

He rubs his hand on the back of his neck nervously, "Did you uh, by any chance, receive some kind of odd letter the other day?"

"Not exactly sure what you mean by odd," she replies. "But no, I don't think I did. Just the basic bills and things. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, uh, no reason," he responds, letting out a sigh of relief.

A few more moments pass in silence as Skye works on Grant's computer, searching for the cause of his issues.

"All done," Skye announces as she stands up straight and unplugs her computer from his, closing the lid and putting it back in her bag.

"Someone from IT hacked it," she tells him as she steps away from the desk and back towards the office door.

"Seriously?" He raises his eyebrows.

"Yeah. But it's fine. I figured out who it was and I'll have a very stern talk with them." She fights hard to suppress a smile.

"Well thank you, very much."

"It was my pleasure," she smiles softly at him.

"I really mean it though," he says. "If you hadn't been able to fix this, then I'd be really behind on my presentation. I don't know how I can thank you enough for this.

"Hmm…" Skye pretends to think. "How about dinner this Saturday?"

"Wh—what?" His breath catches.

"I got your letter," she tells him. "And I like-like you too." She winks at him before turning and stepping out of the door. "I'll text you my address," she calls over her shoulder.

He's about to run after her to ask her how she even has his number, before he remembers that she's Skye and she works in the IT department. She can get pretty much whatever she wants. And apparently, she wants him.

* * *

**So? What did you all think? Let me know in a review down below. Thanks!**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	4. Just My Luck

**Hey babes! Got a new one for ya! This was based off of a prompt that I had found a while ago, "I had a one night stand the night before I started a college class and WHOOPS I ACCIDENTALLY BANGED THE PROFESSOR".  
****So yeah, that line is never actually said, but it's basically the same thing.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You know, I still can't believe I actually let you talk me into taking a computer class this semester," Grant says to his best friend and then takes a sip from his beer.

"Oh come on," his friend replies. "It's not like it's going to kill you to try something new."

"It's not that I don't like trying new things, Fitz. I'm just not particularly fond of computers."

"Yes, well, I think the many computers you've destroyed over the years out of sheer frustration can speak for that."

"Exactly. So then you know that I'm probably not going to do very well in this class. I might as well just drop it before classes start." He takes another swig from his beer.

"Classes start tomorrow, Grant," Fitz tells him, "I don't think they're going to let you drop the class."

"First two weeks you're allowed to add and drop classes without any repercussions," Grant informs his friend.

Fitz sighs, "I really wish you weren't a freak who memorized every single rule and regulation for this school."

Grant just smiles and drinks his beer. He swallows, "But seriously man, I'm so stressed out about taking this class. I need something to take my mind off of it for a little while."

"That's why I brought you to this bar," Fitz reminds him, gesturing to the vast area of the bar around them.

"Um, I'm pretty sure _I'm_ the one who brought _you_ here."

"Yes, well, we're here, I don't think it really matters who brought who."

Grant holds his hands up, "Alright, alright." He picks up his beer and takes another drink.

"Also," Fitz speaks up, "you might want to know that your professor is new, too. Apparently she's one of, if not _the_ youngest at the University, but she's really good at what she does."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Grant raises an eyebrow at his friend.

"That depends. Is it making you feel any better?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Here you go."

Looking up, Grant sees the bartender set another bottle of beer down on the bar top in front of him.

"I didn't order another one," Grant tells the bartender, holding the beer up.

The man just shrugs, "It's from the lady over there," he motions with his head to where the tables are at in the bar.

Turning his head, Grant looks towards the multiple tables in the room and his eyes fall on a specific table just a few feet away. There are two girls sitting across from each other at the table. The girl on the left has light, straight hair and is staring down into the basket of fries in front of her. But the girl on the right is looking right at him. She has long, dark brown hair that is slightly wavy and hangs down her back. Her chocolate brown eyes are boring into his and he can see a hint of a smile on her dark red lips.

He holds the beer that she obviously sent him up in the air and gives her a smile and a slight nod of his head in thanks.

Her smile widens and she nods her head back, the smile staying on her lips as she takes a large swig from her beer bottle.

Grant responds, taking a sip from his own beer before turning back around towards Fitz. When he looks at his friend, he's looking at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"You have got to be kidding me," Fitz says exasperatedly.

"What?" Grant repeats.

"Did you not just see that?"

"See what?"

"You are ridiculous, Grant. That girl is into you. She was practically undressing you with her eyes."

"You're crazy."

"Am I?" Fitz raises an eyebrow. "I'm telling you man, you need to go over there and talk to her."

Grant thinks for a moment. She ordered him a beer and they don't even know each other. And then there's the way she smiled at him, but she could have been just smiling to smile. But the way she was looking at him, that's not how you smile at just anyone.

* * *

"Tell me the truth; do you think I'll do a good job?" Skye asks her best friend as they sit at a table in the middle of the bar. She holds her beer bottle in one hand, gently swirling the liquid inside of it.

"You're going to do great, Skye," her best friend, Jemma, tells her. "You're pretty much the best at what you do. This school is extremely lucky that they managed to hire you on such short notice."

Skye sighs, "I know. I'm just really nervous."

"Why on earth would you be nervous? You can do CS in your sleep. Teaching it shouldn't be a problem for you."

"That's not why I'm nervous."

"Then why are you?"

"Because I'm most likely the same age as some of the kids that'll be in my class. And the rest of them will be older. It's going to be weird to teach them."

"Just relax, Skye. You're going to do fine. I know you are."

"Thanks Jem. I just think I need something that'll help me relax and de-stress."

"Isn't that why we're here?" Jemma asks, gesturing to the vast area of the bar around them.

Skye shrugs, "I mean, I guess so." She takes a sip from her beer.

"Come on, Skye. This was your idea to come here. Can't you please try and enjoy yourself?"

"I have been, but it's not that easy."

"Well then maybe you need something else to distract you."

"Something like him?"

Jemma follows Skye's gaze to see where she is looking. Sitting at the bar is a man with short black hair. He's wearing a simple pair of blue jeans and a short sleeved black t-shirt. "You can't be serious," Jemma says.

"Look at those arms," Skye smiles. "He must work out."

"Skye!" Jemma exclaims, getting her friends attention.

"What?"

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

"That depends. What are you thinking I'm thinking?"

"I um, you, uh, and that man, um, you can't—"

"Jemma, hold up. Do you really think I'm going to try and get that guy to sleep with me?" Jemma looks down sheepishly. "Wow, Jemma. I can't believe you."

"Skye, I promise you I didn't mean anything by it." She looks up from the table, "It's just that, well, you don't always make the best…" She trails off when she sees the wide smile on Skye's face.

"I'm just messing with you, Jem." Skye tells her.

"Here are your fries."

The two girls look up to see the waiter setting a basket of fries down on the table.

"Thank you," Jemma smiles, starting in on the basket of fries.

"I have a question," Skye says to the waiter. "Well, not really a question, more of a request. I'd like to send whatever he's drinking to the fine looking guy at the bar. The one in the black shirt who's probably all muscle. Could you do that for me?"

"Of course," the waiter smiles politely.

"Thank you," Skye says as he turns and walks away towards the bar. "And now we wait," she smiles, taking a sip from her beer.

"How do you even know that he'll be interested? He could be with someone already."

"You never know unless you ask, or in this case, order him a drink and hope he wants to make out as a stress reliever."

"Oh Skye," Jemma sighs, shaking her head.

"What?" Skye shrugs, "If he's already in a relationship, then I'll leave him alone. And obviously I won't come straight out and ask if he wants to make out. I'll wait for a minute. But I'm definitely going to make out with him."

Jemma doesn't reply, instead deciding to turn her gaze on the basket of fries in front of her. Skye's eyes remain on the backside of the man at the bar.

A moment later, she sees him turn his head towards her and she gets a better look at his face. His eyes are dark brown and his facial features are very defined. He has just a small bit of stubble on his face and she thinks it makes him look much more attractive.

He raises his bottle of beer towards her and nods his head at her with a small smile. She grins back at him and continues smiling as she takes a drink from her beer, her eyes remaining locked with his. She sees him take a drink before turning back to his friend.

"What was that?" Jemma asks and Skye turns her head.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"The way you were looking at him."

"What way?"

"The way in which you were practically undressing him with your eyes."

"I was not—okay, so maybe just a little. But I was just thinking about whether or not he has abs. And if he does, how defined they are."

"You're ridiculous," Jemma says.

"Hey, all I did was buy him a beer. If he comes over and starts talking to me, that's all on him."

"Yes, but you initiated it by sending him that beer."

Skye shrugs and takes a sip from her own beer.

* * *

"Hey," Grant says when he reaches the table where Skye and Jemma are sitting.

Skye looks up at him and smiles, "Hey yourself."

"I uh, I just wanted to say thanks, for the beer."

"No problem. I figured you might need another one."

He chuckles, "Yeah, well, it was very much appreciated. I definitely needed to take my mind off things, because thinking about doing new things that you're most likely going to fail at horribly is not very fun."

"I know what you mean," she smiles. "Well, not about the failing horribly thing, because I'm awesome. But about doing new things. I'm a big ball of nerves right about now."

"Well I'm sorry to hear that," he smiles at her. She smiles back. The two of them just spend a few minutes staring at one another before Grant speaks up again, "Hey, do you want to get out of here? Maybe go for a walk with me?"

Skye beams at him, "I would love to." She stands from the table and picks up her jacket and purse. "Jem," she says to her friend, "Will you—"

"Yes. I'll cover the bill. Now go."

"You're the best," she smiles and leans down to hug her.

"I know," Jemma smiles.

Skye presses a friendly kiss to Jemma's temple before standing up straight and making her way over to Grant. "You ready to get out of here?"

He smiles at her, "Definitely."

The two of them turn and make their way towards the front door of the bar.

"Just so we're clear," Skye begins, "we're just going for a walk."

"Andy maybe grab some dessert?" Grant suggests.

"Okay. A walk and some dessert. But that's all. I don't want you getting any ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

Falling back onto the bed, breathing heavily, Grant runs one of his hands through his hair.

"Wow," he says, looking up at the ceiling.

"Definitely," Skye replies, turning her head to the side so she can look at Grant. "You certainly excelled in many, many ways."

"Thanks." He turns his head to look at her, "You weren't so bad yourself."

She reaches up and smacks his bare chest with the back of her hand. "Shut up," she says to him.

He chuckles, "No, you were really good, though. I didn't know that half of those things were even possible."

"Well now you know," she smiles at him. "And now you can share them with the next girl you're with."

"Who says that I plan on there being another girl?" He smiles back at her.

She raises her eyebrows at him, "You were thinking that this," she gestures between them, "was going to happen again? Oh that's so cute," she smiles at him as she pats his chest gently.

He grabs her wrist in his hand and lifts it up, placing a gently kiss to the inside of her palm. "Well I was hoping that I'd at least get to take you to dinner sometime," he tells her.

"And what makes you so sure that I'd say yes?"

"Well, as I recall, you were saying yes all night. Figured it'd be an ongoing theme."

She blushes, hiding her face in the pillow below her.

"What time is it?" She asks him after a minute, turning her head to the side so she can look at him.

Grant rolls over in the bed and picks up his jeans off of the floor to pull out his phone and check the time. "It's almost 8."

"You need to leave then," she tells him as she stands from the bed, pulling the sheet around her body.

"What?" He asks. "Somewhere you have to be?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. And it's a new thing, so I really don't want to be late."

"I get it, I do. I actually have somewhere to be too." He stands from the bed and pulls on his boxers.

"Good. Well, uh, while you get dressed I'm going to get in the shower. Just let yourself out."

"Will do," he smiles. "And Skye?"

She turns back around to face him, "Yeah?"

"Thanks for last night. It was really great."

"You're welcome. But this morning was way better. That's definitely one way to wake up."

She tosses him a smile as she makes her way into her bathroom and shuts the door.

Grant smiles as he picks up the rest of his clothes and pulls them on, "Yes it was."

* * *

"Is this seat taken?" Grant asks one of the girls in his class, pointing to the empty seat next to her.

"Not at all," she smiles up at him.

"Cool," he smiles back, sitting down in the chair and turning the computer on. He swings his backpack onto the back of his chair and then relaxes into it, letting out a large yawn.

"Tired?" The girl next to him asks, letting out a small laugh.

"Had a long night," he smiles, thinking back to just a few hours before. "I'm Grant Ward," he says, holding his hand out to her.

"Kara Palamas," she smiles back, accepting his hand. "I think I've actually seen you around campus before. You hang out with that kid Fitz, right?"

Grant nods his head, "Yeah. He's my best friend."

"That's nice. I think I've only talked to him once or twice. He's seems really sweet."

"He's pretty cool. We've known each other for years. He's actually the one who convinced me to take this computer class."

"I'm guessing your major has nothing to do with computers."

"Not a thing," he replies with a smile. "But Fitz told me it'll be a good thing for me to do."

"Well he's not wrong," Kara tells him. "I'm only taking this class because my mom insisted that I do."

"She into computers?"

"She's an IT person. She said that she wants me to explore all of my options before I choose my major. But really, I think she just wants me to go into the IT field as well."

"Ah. Well, at least your mom cares. My parents haven't called me even once in the last four years to see how school was going for me."

"I'm sorry," she gives him a sympathetic look.

"Don't be," he waves her off. "I've gotten over it. Besides, I've got Fitz. He's the only family I need, we're practically brothers."

"That's great that you have someone who cares so much about you."

"Yeah, I guess so." He gives a small smile. "Hey, have you heard anything about the teacher? Apparently she's one of the youngest teachers the University has employed. And it's only because she's extremely good at what she does."

"Yeah, no one knows what she looks like though. She was hired on at the last minute, so they don't even have a photo of her up on the school website yet."

"Then I guess we'll have to wait like everyone else to see what she looks like."

"Yes we will."

"Alright everyone," the professor says as she enters the classroom, "please find a computer and log in."

Grant and Kara turn their attention to their now loaded computers and input their log in information to load the computer even further.

"Welcome to Computer Sciences 101. I'm Professor Conrad. Hopefully through this course I'll be able to help you get a basic understanding of computers and the different programs that are available."

She turns around to face the class and her eyes roam around the room, taking a quick glance at each of the students.

She almost stops breathing when they lock eyes. He almost passes out and falls out of his chair.

When they both manage to recover, they just stare at each other for a moment, completely ignoring the rest of the class around them.

"She's my professor? Oh no."

"He's my student? You have to got to be kidding me."

* * *

**So? What did you all think? Let me know in a review down below. Wasn't quite sure how to end this, so I hope I did alright.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	5. At Long Last

**Hey babes! So, this is an idea I got a week or so ago. I don't remember exactly when I had the idea. But I did and I wrote it and I hope you love it. It's a few years in the future and Skye and Ward are together.**

**I debated for a little while on which one-shot to put up today and I felt like I should put up this one. Because since we got a little bit of Skyeward interaction last night, I figured I'll add some fuel to the flame. :)**

**It might be a little mature for some readers, so be warned. There isn't anything super explicit, but some people don't like reading some things. And I don't like writing all that smutty stuff, so there's none of that. There is the lead up, though, so shirts come off. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I still can't believe you actually got shot," Skye says as she dabs a wad of gauze on Grant's shoulder to clear away the excess blood.

"It wasn't even that deep," Grant tells her. "And you managed to get the bullet out just fine."

"Still. There wasn't even supposed to be any gun fire during your mission." She lets her eyes flick towards his face for a moment before she turns back to his wound. She finishes clearing the blood away and tosses the gauze to the side, picking up a thread and needle off of the tray.

"Missions don't always go as planned," he reminds her. "You know that as well I do."

"Yeah, whatever."

She remains quiet and avoids eye contact with him as she quickly stitches up his wound and then sets the needle back down, picking up a damp cloth to clean the blood off of her hands. He reaches back onto the table behind him for his shirt and slips it back on over his head, being careful not to rip apart his fresh stitches.

"Hey," Grant says when he sees Skye fiddling with some of the extra gauze on the tray. "What's going on? You've been kind of distant with me since I got back from my mission."

"It's nothing," she tells him, tossing the gauze back onto the tray and turning away from him.

"Honey, please. Just tell me what's going on with you right now."

"I said it's fine."

"Skye, I can't help you if I don't know what's going."

"You could have died!" She shouts, turning around quickly to face him, hints of tears playing at her eyes. "That's what's going on."

"What? That's what has you so upset? The fact that I could have died?"

"I'm not upset, Grant."

"Well if you're not upset, then what are you?"

"I don't know!" She exclaims, throwing her hands into the air. "I'm feeling all sorts of things right now, Grant. I'm mad at Coulson for sending you out there alone. I'm angry with the men who started firing their stupid guns at you. I'm angry with you for letting yourself get shot. I'm relieved you saw that one shooter when you did and moved when you did. Because if you hadn't, then you wouldn't be here right now! And I'd be miserable! We finally figured things out between us and now we're together and we're actually happy. Something I didn't think was possible again. Then you come so close to dying out there in the middle of this massive gun fight! And it didn't even faze you! Not one bit! It never fazes you! When you got back, you just waltzed in like it was no big deal! You never think about whether or not your next mission could be your last! But I do! Every damn time you go out there without me I get so worried that you won't come back!"

He just stares at her, astonished that she has managed to keep her tears at bay for this long.

"Hey," he stands from his stool and steps towards her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and holding her close. She wraps her own arms around his waist, burying her face in his shirt. "It's okay. I'm here, aren't I?" She nods her head against his chest. "And I always come back, so there's nothing to worry about."

"I know. It's just, what if you aren't as lucky next time?" She leans back slightly and looks up at him, "I can't lose you, Grant. Not now. Not after everything we've been through."

He pulls her close again and presses a kiss to her forehead, cradling the back of her head in one of his hands, his other hand remaining around her shoulders.

"You aren't going to lose me," he whispers to her, burying his face in her hair, breathing in the enchanting scent of her shampoo.

"You can't be sure of that," she mumbles against his chest.

He pulls back and cups her face in his hands so he can look her in the eyes, "Skye. It's just like I told you the day we got together. I will always make sure to tell you the truth. And I'm telling you the truth when I say that I will do everything I can to make sure I always come back to you. I've finally got you and I don't ever plan on leaving you. Not for any reason. You are my entire world, Skye, a world that I never plan on leaving."

"You're my entire world, too," she whispers.

Giving her a small smile, Grant leans down and plants his lips softly against hers. Skye responds to the kiss, wrapping her arms tighter around him and leaning up on her toes to deepen the kiss.

Grant moves one of his hands to tangle in her hair and the other down to her hip, gripping it tightly, yet gently. He begins gently massaging her scalp with his fingers, making Skye moan into his mouth.

Turning them around, Grant uses his whole body to gently press Skye back into the edge of the table behind them. He lets his hand travel down from her head, move slowly down her back, and then finally land on her other hip.

Skye runs her hands along his ribs and then up his torso, resting them, open palmed, on his chest. "Bedroom," she says against his lips.

He pulls away from her and she can see the dazed and loving look in his eyes that he gets every time they kiss each other.

She just smiles at him and then grabs his hand, leading him out of the med bay. They quickly, and quietly, make their way down the many hallways of The Playground towards Skye's bedroom.

Stopping for just a quick moment, Skye reaches up and inputs the code to unlock her door, fumbling a few times because of the lips attacking her neck in hot kisses.

Once the door is open, Skye pulls Grant inside and then closes the door again, making sure to lock it and disable the override function. Just in case.

When the door is closed and locked, Grant pushes Skye back up against the door, holding her in place by his hands on her hips. Pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, Grant moves on to her neck again, kissing a slow line down from her jaw.

Skye's eyes flutter closed and she places her hands on the back of his head, gripping tufts of his hair in her fingers, pushing his lips closer against her skin.

As he continues to kiss along his path, Skye removes one hand from his hair and moves it down to the bottom of his shirt, tugging on the hem of it.

Pulling away, Grant looks her in the eyes, "Are you sure?"

She nods her head, "It's been long enough. I want to do this. Right now."

"Then follow me," he says to her, taking her by the hand and leading her over to her bed. He gently nudges her so she's in a sitting position on the edge of the bed as he stands in front of her, his head titled down to look at her.

He reaches down with both of his hands and grabs the hem of his shirt, pulling it up and over his body, tossing it to the floor. Skye smiles at him before letting her eyes roam appreciatively over his body. Sure she's seen it before whenever he worked out shirtless, but now it's all right in front of her. And she's the one who gets to look at it, touch it, kiss it, and admire it. It's all for her.

Settling her eyes back on his, she reaches down to the hem of her own shirt and grabs it in both hands, lifting it off of her slim body and dropping it to the floor, leaving her in a black lacy bra. She watches as his eyes darken and lets a small smirk play at her lips.

"See something you like?" She asks him flirtatiously.

He nods his head and smiles, "Very much so."

"Good," she smiles before reaching up to grab his face and tug him down to meet her lips once again. He kisses her back, resting one hand on her side where her ribs are and the other on the back of her head.

Skye rubs her thumbs over his scruff, loving the feel of it, before moving her hands from his face and letting them run down over his body. She gently runs the tips of her fingers over his chest, pausing when she is within a few inches of the hem of his jeans. She smirks into the kiss when she feels him shudder beneath her touch.

Grant quickly pulls away and looks down at Skye. "Did you just…?" He trails off breathlessly.

She bites her lip and nods her head. He smiles and dives back in for a kiss.

After a moment, Skye pulls away and smiles at him, "I take it you liked that."

He quickly nods his head. "You've never done anything like that before, have you?"

She shakes her head, "Mm-mm. There are a lot of things I've never done before with my abilities. But I'm willing to try some of them right now if you are."

"Yes please," he breathes out as he dips his head for another kiss.

Skye gladly kisses him back, allowing her fingers to run all over his body, running over every surface of his chest and abdomen, committing every touch of every crease and ridge to memory. As her fingers move over his skin, she sends small vibrations through his body, making him groan and kiss her deeper, just barely tightening his hold on her.

Then she stops and pulls from the kiss.

"What is it?" Grant asks her as he looks down at her with concern in his eyes, his chest moving rapidly as he tries to catch his breath.

"I'm so sorry," she whispers, tears playing at her eyes once again.

"For what?" He asks, his brow furrowing in confusion.

She doesn't respond, just looks down to where her hand is resting on his right side. He looks down as well and then realization and understanding dawns on him. The scars from when she shot him all those years ago.

"It's okay," he says gently, pulling her gaze back up to him. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. We've moved past it. Besides, you knew those were there."

"It's one thing to know. It's another thing to actually see and touch them, knowing that I caused it. Knowing that I could have killed you and you could have died and we wouldn't be here right now. I would have lost my entire world without even realizing it at the time."

"But you didn't," he reminds her. "I survived and I came back. And we are able to have this chance to be happy."

"Yeah," she smiles softly. "We are." Without another word, Skye leans forward and presses her lips to his warm skin, right against the scar of one of his bullet wounds.

Grant takes a quick breath at the touch of her lips against his body, his eyes closing in delight.

One by one, Skye lovingly kisses each bullet wound, lingering for a small moment on each one. Pulling away from the last one, she looks up at Grant to see him looking down at her. He has pure love in his eyes and she does as well.

Reaching out a hand, Grant wipes away the silent tears that had fallen down her face as she kissed the scars of their dark past.

"I love you so much," he says to her as he leans down to press a gentle kiss on both sides of her face where each tear had been.

"I love you too," she whispers, ghosting her lips over his.

She places a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling back. With a single look, he knows exactly what she wants. What they both want and desperately need.

* * *

**So? What did you all think? Did I tug at your heart strings? I hope I did. Let me know your thoughts down below!**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	6. Not Again

**Hey babes! Here's the next installment for ya. I happen to enjoy this one quite a bit. And you'll see why. I'm not sure how I feel about the beginning part here, but the rest of it, I love. This one came about from this little prompt: "**you were my rival in first grade and damn you've gotten really hot since then au".

**So, I hope you enjoy. :)**

* * *

_The little boy with light brown hair sits back in his chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes narrowed. He just sits in his chair and stares angrily at the little brunette girl across the classroom. Her hair is pulled back into two pigtails, and she has a large toothy smile on her face._

_He watches as she talks animatedly with her best friend, gushing over the praise she got from the teacher on her project._

_Yesterday the teacher said his project was the best she'd ever seen. Until _she_ presented her project today. He knows she didn't do it by herself, she had help. But if he called her out on it, the teacher would just get mad at him and tell him it's not nice to accuse people. But he wouldn't be accusing, because he knows he's right._

_"What's wrong?"_

_Looking up, he sees her standing in front of his desk, her tiny hands clasped behind her back and an innocent smile on her face._

_"Like you don't know," he growls._

_She lets the smile fall from her face, "But I don't."_

_He huffs, "You cheated. You probably had your daddy help you or something."_

_She shakes her head, her two braids swinging around, "No I didn't."_

_"Yeah you did. I know so."_

_"But I don't cheat," she says._

_"You always cheat," he tells her, sitting up in his seat. "You cheat on every project and you get help when we're supposed to do them by ourselves. And I always do mine by myself and yours is still better."_

_She shrugs, "That's not my fault."_

_"Yeah it is," he demands._

"_No it isn't!" She shouts back, pulling the teachers attention towards the two of them._

"_Grant. Skye. What is going on?" The teacher asks as she makes her way towards them at the back of the classroom._

"_Grant is being mean to me," Skye says, turning around to look up at the teacher with tears brimming her eyes._

"_No I'm not," Grant responds, looking directly at Skye._

"_Yeah you are," she says back, turning around quick to narrow her eyes at him._

"_Enough," the teacher says in her stern voice. "You two have been at each other all year long and I'm tired of it. I don't want to hear another argument coming from either of you, understand?"_

"_Yes, Mrs. Morgan." They say at the same time._

"_Now, unless you can figure out how to get along, I don't want you talking to one another. Am I clear?" They both nod their heads._

"_Good." She turns and walks away, leaving Grant and Skye still at the back of the classroom._

"_I'm never going to like you," Skye tells him before turning and walking away._

"_Me neither," he says to her retreating form._

* * *

"Hey Grant!"

Turning around at hearing his name, Grant sees his best friend, Leo Fitz, approaching him. He smiles when he sees him, "Hey man."

"Hey, did you hear?" Fitz asks as he approaches Grant.

"Hear what?"

"The Coulson family is moving back to town."

Grant chokes on his lemonade, "Wait, seriously? Are you messing with me?"

Fitz shakes his head, "No I am not. Jemma told me."

"How does she know?"

Fitz shrugs, "I guess she's been staying in contact with Skye for a while."

"Do you know why they're moving back?"

"I think it has to do with her dad's job. Something about him getting another job transfer. And it sent them back here."

"Well this is just perfect," Grant says.

"What do you mean?" Fitz asks him.

"Skye," he says with a blank expression.

"What about her?"

"She's moving back."

"And so are her parents. I just told you that." Fitz gives him a confused look.

"Are you forgetting about the first grade, Fitz?"

"Seriously? You're still on about all of that? It was first grade, Grant."

"And second, third, fourth, and fifth. She made elementary school miserable for me."

"I'm pretty sure you let her make it miserable for you."

"Well it's not my fault she was a terror in braids."

Fitz raises an eyebrow and smiles, "You remember that she wore braids?"

Grant scoffs, "Of course I remember. The image of braids haunted my dreams every night."

"I think there's more to this than you're letting on."

"You're delusional."

Fitz smiles, "It's a possibility."

Grant rolls his eyes, "Whatever. Did Jemma tell you when they'd be here?"

"Sometime this weekend I think."

"Then I'll make sure I'm nowhere nearby when they show up. And if I can manage to avoid Skye for all of the upcoming school year, then I'll be good to go." He stands up and makes his way towards the front door of his house.

"And what about the summer after that? And then the next school year? Do you really think you can avoid her for two whole years?"

"I can try," Grant calls back as he steps inside his house and shuts the front door. Fitz just sighs and shakes his head.

* * *

"Come on Grant, pass it here." Grant turns to see one of his close friends, Antoine Triplett, wide open on the court. He quickly passes the basketball to him and watches intently as he dribbles it down the blacktop.

"Shoot it, Tripp!" He exclaims.

Without a second thought, Tripp jumps into the air and tosses the ball towards the basket, landing back on his feet. Everyone watches intently as the ball goes flying towards the basket, waiting with baited breath to see if it'll go in.

"Yeah!" Grant and Tripp shout when they see the ball make its way through the net. The two friends make their way towards each other and high five.

"Nice shot, Tripp," Grant compliments his friend.

"It was nothing," Tripp shrugs off the praise.

"Good game, boys."

Grant, Tripp, Lance, and Mack all turn their heads towards the edge of the park basketball court to see a girl wearing a pair of white sunglasses leaning against the chain link fence surrounding the court. She's wearing a pair of denim short shorts, her long, tan, slender legs sticking out of them; a pair of nude wrap-around ankle sandals on her feet. She has on a plain white tank top, the black and pink polka dots of her bra showing through; her arms are crossed in front of her. She has a small smile on her dark red lipstick covered lips. Her long brown hair is hanging down her back.

Before any of the boys can say anything, the girl pushes off of the fence and then turns to go out, "See you around." She tosses them all a flirty smile before walking away.

"Who the bloody hell was that?" Lance asks no one in particular.

"I have no idea," Grant replies, still staring after the mysterious girl as she walks away down the sidewalk.

* * *

"Fitz!" Grant shouts as he makes his way closer to his best friend.

Fitz looks up from where he's standing in his garage, tinkering with his latest creation. "Grant, hey. What's up?"

Grant walks up to the table sitting against the opposite wall of the garage. He crosses his arms in front of him and leans back against the table, "Well, I was down at the basketball court with the guys. And this girl—"

"A girl?" Fitz raises an eyebrow, turning towards Grant. "Do go on."

"Yeah, so anyways. We finished the game and Tripp and I were all excited and then we hear this 'Good game, boys'. So we look and there she is. She was leaning against the fence and had this smile on her lips, oh my gosh, her lips. Dark red and so full and I just. She looked so beautiful, but I don't know her name or what she actually looks like because she had sunglasses on. Before any of us could say anything, though, she walked away, but said she'd see us later. I've never seen anyone like her, Fitz."

"Um, Grant."

"Yeah?"

"Did this girl happen to be wearing some denim shorts and a white tank top?"

Grant stands up straight and his eyes go wide, "You've seen her?"

"Actually, she's standing right there," he gestures to the entrance of the garage.

Grant slowly turns around to see the girl from the park standing on the sidewalk just outside the garage.

She has a smirk on her face, "Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

"I mean, uh, well, um, I guess," he stumbles over his words.

"How sweet," her smirk turns into a smile. "You're not half bad yourself," she slowly walks towards him. "You could probably fill out a little bit in certain areas, but other than that you're pretty cute, too." She stops directly in front of him, looking up at him through the lenses on her sunglasses.

"I um…"

"Aww. You're speechless around me," she steps closer and places her hands flat on his chest. "I don't think I've ever left anyone speechless before."

"That's hard to believe," Grant says quietly, but the girl hears because she is so close.

"Skye, would you come on! We need to get going if we're going to make it on time. Oh! Hello Fitz! Hi Grant!"

"Hey Jemma," Fitz waves to his friend.

Grant would respond, if he wasn't too preoccupied with staring down at the girl in front of him. Her name is the same, but she doesn't seem anything like the girl who used to torment him relentlessly as a child. This girl, this girl in front of him can't be the same one from his childhood.

"I'm coming, Jem. Just give me a second."

Her voice breaks him from his thoughts and he sees her still standing in front of him, though not as close.

"Skye?" He questions when he finally finds his voice again.

She smiles up at him and reaches up to take her sunglasses off. Staring back at him are the deep brown eyes that filled his nightmares as a child.

"Took you long enough," she says to him, folding the sunglasses and hooking them to the front of her tank top. The weight of the glasses pulls on the tank top and his eyes immediately flick downwards for a quick moment before going back to her face.

Skye just smirks before turning around and walking away towards Jemma. "See you at school," she calls over her shoulder and Grant just continues to stare after her.

When she and Jemma are out of sight, he lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and falls backwards so his back is resting against the table again.

"Are you alright?" Fitz asks him carefully.

Grant stares wide-eyed at the place where Skye had just been. "I'm doomed. School is going to be absolute hell."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Did you like it? Let me know your thoughts in a review down below. **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	7. Coming Home

**Hey babes! Here is a new one-shot for you guys. I feel like we all need some fluff and stuff right now. Especially if you've seen the finale last night for season two. It's like, thank goodness they're getting a season three. It was definitely a crazy ride and I need to know what happens next. **

**Now for the new one. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm going to miss you," Skye says to her husband, Grant, as the two lie together in their bed. Their legs are tangled together beneath the sheets; arms wrapped protectively around one another.

"I know you will, honey," he replies, tracing random shapes onto the bare skin of her side. "But this is something I need to do. For myself."

"I don't want you to go," she whines and hugs him closer to her own body, wanting to feel the warmth from his skin against her own.

Grant sighs, "I'm just going to do one more tour, Skye. Then I'll be home again and we can live out the rest of our lives. I won't go back once I'm done."

"Do you know how long you're going to be gone this time?"

Grant shakes his head, "It's hard to say. Could be a couple months, could be a couple of years. But as soon as I know when I'm coming back home, you'll be the first to know."

"Promise?"

"With all my heart," he smiles.

"Good," she says, snuggling deeper once more into his arms. "But I don't think I'm going to go to the airport tomorrow," she says after a quiet moment.

"Why not?"

"I don't think I'll be able to handle it. I can barely come to terms with it right now. I'm sorry, but I can't go tomorrow."

"Hey, I understand. So since you won't be coming to the airport with me to say goodbye, why don't we just have our own little farewell right now?" He asks with a smirk.

"I like the sound of that," she says, rolling over on top of him and pressing her lips to his.

* * *

The next morning when she wakes up she finds his side of the bed empty. Sighing sadly, she rolls out of the bed and trudges out the room and down the stairs. She enters the kitchen and starts the coffee maker, getting a mug out of the cupboard above the microwave. As she waits, she leans back against the counter, just staring off into space. Not a single important thought is running through her mind. When the coffee is done, she pours herself a cup, moving herself into the living room and sits down in one of the chairs. Leaning back she takes a sip from her coffee and continues to stare into nothingness. She momentarily turns her head to the side and the sight of one of the photos on the top of the fireplace catches her eye. She sets her cup on the coffee table, stands up from the chair, walks over to the fireplace and takes the photo down off of it, holding it in her hands and staring down at it. A small smile appears on her face at the memory captured in the photo; the day she and Grant got married. It had been the best day of her life. The photo captured that happiness perfectly.

It shows the two of them at their reception, sitting together in the middle of the long table at the front of the room. Skye is sitting in Grant's lap, her arms wrapped around his neck and his around her waist. They are looking at each other lovingly, wide smiles on both of their faces. Skye looks as if she is laughing at something Grant had said and he just smiles at her. The photo is in black and white, making it even more special. Fitz really knew how to capture the moments that counted.

As she stares down at the photo in her hands, a frown crosses her face. She can't help but think about him. Right at that very moment he is getting on a plane to be shipped off halfway across the world and she won't see him for longer than she would like.

Setting the picture back down on the fireplace, she turns around and makes her way to the office they share. She decides to listen to the mix CD Grant had made for her on their sixth month anniversary when they were dating. She loves listening to it and thinking about him whenever he isn't there. And knowing her, she's going to be listening to it a lot.

* * *

*8 ½ months later, somewhere in the Middle East*

"Yo Ward! Mail call!"

Grant looks up from his notebook to see one of his close friends, Lance Hunter, standing in the doorway to their tent. "Yeah, I'm coming." Lance nods his head and then turns to leave the tent, heading towards the main part of their camp.

Grant turns back to his notebook, finishes what he was writing and then closes it, sticking it and the pencil underneath of his pillow. He stands up from his cot, exits the tent and walks out to the center of camp, meeting up with all of the rest of his army friends.

"Ward, you're always late for mail call," Lance says as he walks up to him and claps him on the back.

"Yes. But Hunter, some of us actually have a life that they want to keep up with. Unlike you, of course." Grant says back with a friendly smirk.

"You wound me Ward," Hunter says, putting his hand to his heart, "right here."

"Shut up," Grant pushes him slightly, causing the two to laugh.

"Hunter!" Lance looks up as a package is tossed his way.

He catches it effortlessly and examines the return address. He rips open the package right there on the spot and breathes a sigh of relief, "Thank you, mum." He reaches inside and pulls out a box of treats.

"You're such a momma's boy," Grant says, looking at his friend.

"Hey, don't blame me for loving my mum's homemade treats. And you love them too. Don't even try and deny it."

Grant just smiles at him.

"Ward!" He looks up as a letter is tossed in his direction.

He snatches the letter out of the air and looks at the return address. A smile instantly grows on his face and he rips open the envelope. He moves to sit down on a stump nearby as he unfolds the letter, catching the two photographs that fall out. He looks at the photos and smiles even wider, tears building in his eyes. He hurriedly wipes them away before they can fall and looks down at the letter in his hands, reading it over.

"That a letter from your honey?" Lance asks, sitting down next to him, a mouth full of cookies.

Grant rolls his eyes, "Yeah Hunter, it's a letter from my _honey_. And she has a name by the way."

"I know."

"You're an idiot," Grant says.

"Did she send you another photo?"

"Yeah," Grant hands one of the photos over to him. "Even at 8 ½ months pregnant, she still looks as beautiful as she did the day I left."

Lance looks down at the photo in his hands and gives a small smile. It's a photo of Skye standing sideways in front of a floor length mirror. She's holding the camera up to take a photo of herself and her stomach. One hand is underneath of her baby bump, a huge smile on her face. He flips the photo over to read the writing on the back, _We're doing great, daddy. Not much longer now. Mommy can't wait for you to meet me. _This is how things always went. Ever since Skye and Grant had talked over Skype and she told him about the pregnancy she would send him a new photo in every letter that she sent him. Once in a while it would be two photos; one would be an actual photo of Skye and the other would be an ultrasound photo. Today was two photos. And there would always be some sort of inscription on the back of the one of Skye, letting Grant know about her and the baby's progress. He would always show the Lance the photos, since he was there when he found out about the baby.

"Did she send an ultrasound too? Or is it just one photo this time?" Lance asks as he hands the photograph back to Grant.

Grant accepts the photo and then pulls out the additional photo, "Yeah, ultrasound too."

Lance takes the photo and looks at it for a moment before handing it back, "You've got a great thing going for you back home, man."

"Thanks. You know, you could have something good too. That is, if you weren't such a child about everything."

"Well that, my friend, would require changing and maturing. Which I'm sure we both know I don't do. By the way, you're baby still looks like an alien."

"Case in point," Grant says with a silent laugh. "But seriously man, whenever you feel like it, when your tour is up, come to LA. You can stay with Skye and I until you find a place of your own. And I can introduce you to some very pretty girls that Skye and I have known for years. Maybe you'll hit it off with one of them."

"You know, I might just take you up on that offer. Though I don't know if I would be able to survive living in the same house as a screaming child."

"You'd be staying in the guest house."

"Alright, well, I'll think about it."

"Gentlemen," both guys look up to see their Sergeant addressing the whole group. "We have some movement on the south border. Gear up and let's move out. Dismissed."

"Time for some combat! Let's go!" Lance says as he jumps from his seat and does a little dance before heading back to his tent.

"That attitude is going to get you seriously hurt one day. You know that, right?" Grant says as Lance retreats. He just holds up his fist in the air and does another little dance move as he turns a corner and leaves Grant's view. Grant shakes his head at his friend and then packs the letter back into its envelope before standing up and heading back to his tent himself.

* * *

"Hunter," Grant whispers to his friend as they sit crouched down behind a piece of building in the middle of the desert. "Did you see that over there?" He motions to an area of the building just ahead of them and to the left a little ways.

"What was it?" Lance asks as he moves slightly closer to Grant.

"I don't know, but I don't like it."

"Should we go and check it out?"

"No man. We should just stay here. We have our orders."

"Come on, Ward," Lance coaxes. "Ever since you've arrived, you've been playing by the rules. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Sense of adventure?" Grant repeats with raised eyebrows. "Are you serious? We're in the army, Hunter. I'm not really looking to go on an adventure while we're out here. In case you don't remember, I have a wife I love at home and a baby on the way. A baby who's birth I most likely won't be there for. I have my own adventure back home, where it's safe."

"Whatever man," Lance shakes his head. "I'm gonna go and check it out. Come with me if you want."

"Hunter, get back here," Grant says as Lance stands up and makes his way out from behind the building wall. "Hunter!"

Lance just ignores Grant and keeps on moving towards the center of the building. Grant groans and stands up from behind the building wall and begins walking towards his friend.

"Hunter, come on man. Let's just get back to our post."

"Hang on, I'm almost there."

"Hunter, I have a really bad feeling about this one." Grant cautiously continues towards his friend when he sees Lance stop in his path. "What is it?" Lance doesn't respond and Grant takes a step forward, "Hunter what is it?" Lance still doesn't respond and Grant moves in closer.

The next thing Grant registers is a loud beeping coming from where Lance is and then a loud bang and flash of light as Lance is tossed into the air.

"Hunter!" Grant yells as the blast throws him backwards and he lands on his back, hitting his head on a flat rock. "Hunter," Grant whisper mumbles as he looks around him. He tries to move but before he can even move an inch, his eyes shut involuntarily and he falls back, everything going black.

* * *

*Los Angeles, California*

The doorbell goes off as Skye is in the nursery, finishing a few details of the room, one hand on her stomach and one hand on her lower back. "I'm coming!" She shouts as she approaches the front door. When she reaches the front door, she pulls it open to reveal her best friends standing in the doorway. A smile grows on her face when she sees them. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaims. "What are you doing here?"

"We just thought we'd drop in for a visit," Jemma tells her as they all step into the house.

"Well that's great of you all to come, but it's completely unexpected," she says with a smile.

"We can go if you want us to," Bobbi teases her with a smile.

"No no no, don't go. It's fine. I just wasn't expecting you. I was planning on Skyping with Grant sometime today."

"What time?" Jemma asks.

"I don't know. It depends on his schedule. He usually calls me because I never know if he is out in the field or at base camp. Hence why I have my laptop in the living room, so I can catch his call if it comes in. You guys are welcome to talk to him too if you want."

"We don't want to intrude on your time with Grant," Kara says.

"You wouldn't be intruding," Skye says back. "I'm sure he'd love to see all of you."

"If you insist," Bobbi says. "We'll stay."

"So," Kara starts as they walk into the living room and sit on the couch, "how is she doing?"

Skye puts her hand on her stomach and rubs it gently, "She's doing good. Not letting me sleep much lately. But I think she's just antsy to get here and meet her daddy."

"That's great," Bobbi says.

"Yeah. I just hope he comes home soon. Preferably in time for her arrival, but you never know with the army and-" Skye gets cut off by the phone ringing and moves to get up and answer it.

"Don't move," Jemma says. "I got it." She stands up from her spot on the couch and walks into the kitchen to retrieve the phone. The others just sit and wait as Jemma answers the phone.

"Hello?" They hear her say from the kitchen. "Um, no, this is her friend Jemma. May I ask who's speaking?" There's a pause as she listens. "Of course, one moment." They hear footsteps and then Jemma enters the living room again, the phone in her hand and a weird look on her face. She walks up to Skye and hands her the phone, "It's for you. The man wouldn't tell me who he is."

Skye accepts the phone and then stands up from the couch with some help from Jemma. "Hello?" She says, holding it up to her ear.

"_Hello, is this Skye Ward?"_

"This is she. May I ask who's speaking?"

"_This is Sergeant Robert Parker. I have some news about your husband."_

Skye stops in her tracks she had been making while pacing the room, "What about him?"

"_Your husband was at his post yesterday morning when he was caught in a bomb explosion not too far from his station."_

Skye's breath hitches in her throat and she feels like the walls are closing in, "Is he-" she trails off, not really able to finish her question.

"_No. He's not."_ Skye releases a breath she had been holding. _"Fortunately he was far enough away from the explosion, but he did receive some upper body injuries. He was flown out to the closest military hospital near your city for recovery. We're going to have a car come and pick you up at your house to transport you to the hospital."_

"Okay, when will it be here?"

"_Sometime tomorrow morning."_

"Alright, thank you." She says and hangs up her phone. She stands in the middle of the room, not saying a word, but just waits as the information really sinks in.

"Skye? Who was that?"

Skye pulls herself from her thoughts to see her friends all looking at her with worried looks on their faces. "What?" She says when she comes back to earth.

"The phone call, Skye," Kara says. "Who was it?"

"Oh, right. That was Grant's Sergeant."

"What was it about?" Bobbi asks.

"Um, Grant was caught in a bomb explosion yesterday." All three women in the room gasp.

"Is he okay?" Jemma asks her.

"Yeah, he just has some leg injuries I guess. They flew him out to the military hospital here in California. Someone's picking me up tomorrow to drive me there."

"Do you want us to go with you?" Kara asks.

Skye shakes her head, "I think it'd be better if I went by myself."

"Okay," Jemma says, standing up and going towards Skye. "We'll leave you to kind of just, be here. Call us if you need anything, alright?"

"I will," she says back, and hugs each of her friends. "Thanks again, you guys."

They all nod their heads and then make their way to the front door, opening it up. With a final goodbye, they all exit the house, making their way to the street out front to go to their cars. When they are all down the street and around the corner, Skye shuts the front door and then goes back into the living room and sits down on the couch. She sets the phone down beside her and leans back, rubbing her hand up and down her protruding belly again. She feels a kick and smiles sadly, "Shh baby, it's okay. Daddy's fine. Daddy's just fine."

* * *

*Military Hospital in LA*

Skye slowly makes her way up the front steps, one hand on the railing with the other underneath of her stomach. The man who picked her up that morning from her house is walking beside her, one hand on her lower back to help support her. When they reach the front doors, the man grabs the handle and opens it, allowing Skye to walk inside. He walks in beside her and leads her to the front desk. "Hello, I have Skye Ward here to see her husband." The man says.

"Of course," the woman behind the counter says. "You can go on back."

"Thank you," the man nods his head politely and then leads Skye away from the counter and to the elevator. "Come on," he says. He presses the up arrow button for the elevator and the two of them stand in the hallway, waiting for the elevator to arrive. Once it does, they step inside and he presses the 2 button, waiting as the doors close.

The ride up is silent, neither one saying a word, not knowing what to say. Skye stands there, staring at the doors, while absentmindedly rubbing her stomach up and down. The elevator reaches its stop and the door opens, allowing Skye and her escort to step out of the elevator.

"This way," he instructs, guiding her down the hallway of rooms filled with injured servicemen and women. "Right here," he says when they reach the correct room. "Go on in, I'll be out here if you need anything."

Skye nods her head in thanks and then takes a step forward, grasping the door handle in her hand. She twists the knob and lets the door slowly swing open. Entering the room, she takes notice of what she sees. Machines are crowding around Grant's bed with all sorts of tubes and wires running throughout his body. He is lying in the middle of the bed, eyes closed, blanket covering his body. He has a few cuts and scrapes on his face, but besides that, he looks just as he did before he left. She slowly makes her way towards his bed, lowering herself into the chair beside his bed and taking his hand in her own.

"Hey baby," she says softly. "I'm here. You're home early. But that's okay. You can be here to see our daughter being born. I'm just sorry it had to be like this." She looks down as a few tears fall from her eyes, "I was so scared when your Sergeant called me."

"Well I'm fine." Skye's head snaps up and she looks over at Grant. His eyes are open and he's looking at her.

"Hey," she says with a smile.

"Hey," he says back, squeezing her hand. "How is she?"

Skye looks down at her stomach and then back at Grant, "She's doing alright. I'm glad you're here to see her being born."

"Just a couple more weeks, and then we'll have our beautiful baby girl in our arms."

"Yeah, we will," she says, a few tears of joy falling from her eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"Alright. I don't really feel much pain."

"That's because we gave you some medication a little while ago." They both look up to see the doctor walking into the room, a clipboard in his hands. "Something to help with the pain." He walks up to Skye and holds his hand out, "I'm Doctor Callaghan. You must be Skye."

"Yes," she says, accepting his hand.

"Well Grant, everything seems to be looking good. You should be able to go home very soon."

"Thank you, doc. But, can I ask what exactly happened? I don't remember."

The doctor pulls a chair up and sits at the end of the bed, "According to people in your unit that we talked to, you were out in the field with your friend, Lance Hunter, when a bomb went off. Fortunately you were far enough away to not get the brunt of the blast. But when you landed, a large piece of the building fell on one of your arms. We had to do a major surgery."

"Meaning?"

"We had to amputate your arm."

Skye gasps sharply and grips Grant's hand tighter, "Is he going to be okay?"

"He's going to be fine. The surgery went well, no complications. But if you feel or see anything weird, you'll need to get it looked at straight away."

"Okay, thank you. Anything else we should know?"

"As of right now, no. We do have a wheelchair for you to use to get around in though because your ribs were fractured so it's going to help ease up on that pain. It should be brought in to you momentarily."

"Thank you," Grant says. "When exactly can I go home?"

"Sometime tomorrow. We just want to monitor your vitals for a little while longer to make sure we didn't miss anything initially."

"Okay. Thank you." The doctor nods his head and gets out of his chair and makes his way to the door.

"Whoa," Skye says, jumping slightly and putting her hand on her stomach.

"What is it?" Grant asks, looking at her as the doctor turns around. "Is it the baby?"

"Yeah," she nods her head. "I think it was just a Braxton Hicks contraction. They've been happening for a few days now." A moment later, Skye feels a small trickle down her legs and looks down, then back up at Grant, "Grant, I think my water just broke."

Grant's eyes go wide and he tries to sit up. He manages to do so and looks over at the doctor who is on the phone with someone, "Aren't you going to do something?"

Doctor Callaghan puts his hand on the receiver of the phone, "I'm calling one of my colleagues. We're going to deliver this baby here."

Grant nods his head and looks back at Skye; she is taking deep breathes and wincing whenever a contraction hits. "You're going to be fine," he tells her, "They're getting someone right now. This baby is going to be born here." Skye just nods her head.

A moment later, a nurse walks into the room, pushing a wheelchair in front of her. The doctor looks to Skye, "Skye. This is Nurse Winnie. She's going to help you to the room where we're going to deliver your baby." Skye nods as the nurse steps forward and helps her from the bedside chair to the wheelchair. "Grant, we'll have another wheelchair brought in here momentarily and then we'll take you down there as well."

"Okay," Grant nods. "I'll be there soon, Skye," he says to his wife as the nurse wheels her from the room. He sighs as he watches Skye being taken from the room.

A few minutes later, another wheelchair arrives in the room and Doctor Callaghan helps him into it. When Grant gets a look at himself, his breath hitches in his throat. It takes him a moment to actually register what has happened to him. While his right arm is partially wrapped in bandages, the other arm is completely gone from the elbow down; in its place a small round stump wrapped in bandages to keep it protected.

"Are you okay, Grant?" Doctor Callaghan asks in concern at the sight of his patients' face.

"Yes, sir," he says. "Just a little shocked. That's all."

"I understand. It's completely normal. You'll get used to it eventually."

"Guess I'll just have to take your word for it. Now get me down there. Skye would kill me if I missed the birth." Doctor Callaghan nods his head, going to the back of Grant's wheelchair and pushing him out of the room and down the hallway.

* * *

When they reach the correct room, the doctor slowly opens the door and pushes Grant inside.

"I'm here," Grant says as he approaches the bedside.

Skye looks over and smiles at him, "Thank goodness. Now come here and hold my hand." She holds her hand out to him and he accepts it, letting her crush it in a death grip when need be. But at the moment he doesn't care, he's just glad to be there for the birth of his daughter. Because if he had been just a foot closer, he wouldn't be here to witness this miracle.

"You can do this, Skye," he says to her as she breathes in and out slowly. "Pretty soon our baby girl is going to be in our arms. And I told the hospital to call everyone so they know what's happening."

Skye looks over at him and smiles, "I'm so glad you're here."

"So am I, honey, so am I." he smiles back.

"Okay Skye, you're just about to 10 centimeters, so we're going to be ready for you to push in about a minute or two."

Skye nods her head in acknowledgement, not really being able to talk. She squeezes Grant's hand tighter as another contraction passes. Grant doesn't say another word, letting her crush his hand with each contraction that passes.

"Alright Skye," the doctor says, "time to push."

* * *

"She's absolutely beautiful," Skye says, staring at the little pink bundle in her arms.

"Just like her mother," Grant says, pulling Skye into a side hug.

Skye looks up at him and smiles, "I'm so glad you were able to be home for this."

"Even though I lost my arm?" He asks her, sadness in his voice.

"Hey," Skye says, getting Grant to look at her, "even though you lost an arm, that doesn't matter. Our daughter isn't going to care that you have one arm missing. She may ask questions as she gets older, but she is going to love you all the same. Because you are her father. She'll never stop loving you because you only have one arm."

"Really?"

"Absolutely," she smiles.

He smiles back, "Okay then."

"Now, one last thing to decide, what should we name this little ray of sunshine?" Skye asks.

"Well um, I was thinking of a name a little bit ago. I had this friend overseas, his name's Lance," he looks down at his daughter, "I figured we could name her after him."

Skye scrunches up her nose, "I'm trying to figure out how to make Lance into a girl's name right now."

Grant chuckles, "No. Not Lance."

"Then what?"

"Lance's last name was Hunter. It works for either a girl or a boy."

Skye thinks about the name, looking down at the baby. "Hunter."

"Hang on. Let's use that as her middle name."

Skye looks up at him, "Really? Why?"

"Because I know Lance. And he may be…gone now, but I know he'd get a big head if we make our daughter's first name his last name."

"Okay, so we make her middle name Hunter. But what about her first name? I know we talked, but I don't think we ever actually decided on one."

Grant takes a moment to look down at his daughter, taking in her features. "Jessica."

"Jessica," Skye repeats. "Jessica Hunter."

Grant looks back down at the baby, "Jessica Hunter Ward. I love it."

"Me too," Skye says, "What do you think, sweetheart?" She looks down at the baby in her arms, "Do you like the name? Jessica Hunter?"

Right after Skye speaks, the baby girl opens her eyes and looks up at her parents, staring up at the two of them.

"I think she likes it," Grant smiles.

"I think she definitely likes it," Skye smiles back. "So it's settled then. Jessica Hunter Ward. A perfect name for a perfect baby."

And at that moment in his life, Grant is happier than he ever has been in his whole entire life. Because at that moment, he knows he gets to stay with his wife and his new baby girl for the rest of his life. And he never has to go back into the Army. He just wishes Lance could see him now.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Did you like it? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	8. Who Knew

**Hey babes! Here's another one for ya! The prompt for this one was: Firefighter AU. So here you go.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Help me! Someone, please! Help me!" The young brunette woman coughs and wheezes as she sits huddled in a corner of her living room. There is smoke surrounding her, quickly rising and filling her lungs. "He—help!" She sputters, a cough attack overtaking her. She closes her eyes after a minute, the thick smoke starting to burn her eyes. She slides down the wall behind her, covering her mouth and nose with the inside of her elbow, trying to stop more smoke from making its way into her system.

She isn't able to stop the smoke and more and more of it passes through her airways and into her lungs. She coughs and sputters. "Help!"

She lies down on her side, coughing as she does, struggling to take a breath. Everything around her starts to become hazier and it's getting more difficult for her to breathe.

"Hello?" She hears someone call out in the distance.

"In…here…"

She manages to catch a brief glimpse of someone breaking down her door before her eyes close and everything goes dark.

* * *

"Ward!" The Fire Chief calls out to one of his men. "Is everyone out?"

"Yes sir," Ward answers, walking up to his boss. "Everyone is out and accounted for."

"What about Skye?" Someone speaks up from within the crowd, having overheard the conversation.

"Who's Skye?" The Chief asks, turning to face the woman who spoke.

"She lives in the building on the fourth floor," another person, a man, answers, stepping forward. "But she usually works at night, so she might not even be in there."

"Thank you," the Chief says and then turns back to look at Ward.

"I'm going back in," Ward tells his chief.

"Are you sure, Ward? You heard what the guy said. The girl probably isn't in there."

"But there's always a possibility."

"The building is becoming unstable, Ward. If you go back in there, you'll be risking your life."

"Isn't that what I do every time I put this suit on? I'm going back in, Chief; just to make sure she isn't in there."

The Chief looks at him for a moment before sighing, "Fine. Just be careful."

"I'll do my best," Ward smiles slightly before turning to look at the man and woman who had spoken earlier. "Excuse me," he says to them. "What floor did you say Skye lives on?"

"Fourth floor," the man replies. "Her apartment is at the end of the hall on the left side."

"Thank you," Ward says gratefully, before turning and making his way into the building.

Carefully making his way through the burning building, Ward climbs the charring stairs to the fourth level of the building. He squints through the massive layers of smoke rising to the top, trying to peer around the large flames crackling throughout the building.

"Hello?" He calls out. "Is anyone still in here?"

He makes his way further down the hallway, keeping his ears trained for any sound of someone possibly calling out for help. "Hello? Is someone still in here?"

He hears a faint, "Help," coming from the end of the hallway.

As he gets closer, the voice gets a bit louder, though it still sounds faint. He picks up his pace, almost at a run, to reach the person as soon as he can.

Reaching the end of the hall, he leans close to the door on his left, listening for sounds of anyone inside. "Hello?" He calls out.

"In…here…"

Stepping back, he kicks his foot out and breaks the apartment door down so he can get inside. He steps over the bottom piece of the door that is still there and makes his way into the room. Just a few feet in front of him he sees her, a woman with dark brown hair lying on her side on the carpet of what he assumes to be the living room.

He makes his way closer to her and kneels down in front of her and tries to get her to speak. "Miss," he says, gently shaking her shoulder, "Miss, can you hear me?" He gets no response and starts panicking internally.

He takes a moment to note her clothing; a pair of sleep shorts, a tank top, and some slippers. Her hair is pulled back into a messy bun. Making a quick decision, he removes his heavy coat that protects him from the flames and sets it aside next to him. He then reaches forward and shifts the woman so she is sitting up, her head lolling down in front of her. He picks up his jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders and making sure it is covering as much of her body as possible.

Reaching down, he tucks one of his arms underneath of her bare legs and the other underneath of her back. He carefully lifts her into his arms, adjusting her so her face is protected from the flames and smoke.

Taking a deep breath, he turns around and makes his way back to the broken door of the apartment.

Stepping through it, back into the rapidly growing flames, Grant holds the woman closer to his body as he carefully steps back through the fire and towards the staircase.

* * *

"How long has it been?" Jemma asks her boyfriend as they stand outside of their burning apartment building.

"I don't know, Jem," Fitz replies. "I left my watch inside and my phone is dead."

Jemma rocks back and forth on her feet nervously, "Oh I do hope she's alright if she's in there."

"Me too, Jem."

"It'd be such a shame if something really awful were to happen."

"I know. Let's just hope that kind fireman gets back out safely."

"Yes, let's hope."

"I see something!" Someone calls out, pointing towards the building.

Everyone's attention quickly turns towards the front of the building. At first all they see is smoke and fire, and then they see a figure emerging from the smoke.

"Ward!" The Chief shouts, rushing towards him. "Your arms, they've got burns all over them. We need to get you checked out."

"Her first," he gestures with his head to the woman in his arms. "Her first."

"Ward, we need to make sure these burns aren't serious."

"Her. First." Ward insists.

The Chief nods his head, "Okay." He turns around and motions to a group of people off to the side, "I need medics and a gurney over here." He turns to Ward, "Come on. Bring her over here."

Ward carries her in the direction of the paramedics, meeting them halfway. He carefully lays her down on the gurney, making sure she won't fall off. "Smoke inhalation," he says to the medics as he removes his helmet. "Her apartment was almost completely full of smoke."

"Thank you," one of the medics says. He turns to his partner, "Get her started on a breather, quickly."

"Yes sir," the woman says as she and another medic wheel Skye away towards the ambulance.

The lead medic turns back to Ward, "Come with me so I can check out your injuries."

"Just take care of her first," Ward gestures to the gurney being lifted into the back of the ambulance.

"I can take care of your arms on the way to the hospital," he says.

Ward sighs, "Alright. Fine." He turns to look at the Chief, "Chief, I—"

"Ward, go. Get your arms taken care of."

He nods his head once, "Yes sir." He turns and follows the paramedic towards the ambulance and climbs into the back, taking a seat on one of the benches.

He looks down at the woman lying on the gurney, his large jacket is lying underneath of her and she has a ventilator mask on her face. He hopes she'll be okay. He hopes he got to her in time.

* * *

"Alright Miss Conrad," the doctor says to her as he enters her room. "You are one very lucky woman."

"I am?" she furrows her brow. "How?"

"If you had been in your apartment for just a minute longer, it is very likely you would have died from smoke inhalation."

"Died?"

He nods his head, "Yes. Fortunately for you, someone got you out just in time and we were able to get all of the smoke out of your system."

Skye smiles up at him, "Well thank you, for saving my life."

He smiles back, "You're welcome. But I'm just the one who made sure you were okay. The real hero is the man who went back in to get you out."

"Do you know who he is?"

"Just that he's a firefighter."

"Okay, thank you."

"Well, I'm going to go check in on some of my other patients. I'll let you rest."

"Right, of course. Thank you."

The doctor smiles at her before turning to leave through the curtain surrounding her bed. He stops as he steps through and turns back to face her, "Actually, there is someone here to see you."

"Who is it?"

"I'll let him tell you himself." The doctor leaves with a smile.

A second later, a man she's never seen before steps through the curtains. He's tall with short black hair, dark brown eyes, and tan skin. When her eyes catch sight of his arms they go wide; both of his arms are covered in bandages.

Realizing he is speaking to her, she breaks herself from her thoughts and looks up at him, "Sorry. What was that?"

"Just uh, I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks," she says. "Sorry, but uh, do I know you?"

"Not formally, no. I'm Grant Ward."

"Skye Conrad," she replies with a smile.

"Well Skye," he smiles back. "It's nice to officially meet you."

"You too. And uh, your arms, what happened? If you don't mind me asking."

Grant looks down at his bandaged for a moment before looking back at her, "Let's just say really hot flames and sensitive skin don't go well together."

"A fire? Are you—are you the one who got me out?"

He nods his head before looking down and shoving his hands into his pants pockets, "Yeah."

"Thank you."

He looks back up at her to see her smiling softly at him. "I was just doing my job," he tells her.

"That may be so. But I wasn't even supposed to be there. How did you know to come in and get me?"

"Uh, two of your neighbors. They told me and my Chief which apartment you lived in. They said you probably weren't there, but I needed to go in and make sure. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself, knowing I could have saved a life and didn't."

Skye nods her head, "Well I appreciate it very much. The doctor told me if you hadn't gotten there when you did, I would have died. So I guess you really did save my life."

"Yeah," he smiles. "I guess I did."

"Well thank you," she smiles back at him.

"You're welcome." They're both quiet for a moment. "Well, uh, I should probably get going. I'm supposed to have my arms checked again."

"Right. Of course. Thank you, again, for saving me."

He smiles at her, "I'm glad I did." He turns to leave the room when he stops and turns back towards Skye. "So, this might seem a little odd, considering I saved you from a fire today and whatnot, but uh, would you like to grab dinner with me sometime?"

She smiles softly at him, "Yeah. That sounds great."

"Awesome," he breathes out. "Well uh, I'll leave my number with the front desk so you can get it when you check out."

"Great. I'll call you when I'm not feeling and looking completely gross."

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you soon then."

"Yeah, you will."

Grant gives her one last smile before leaving her room. Skye is about to close her eyes when Grant's voice pulls her back.

"Hey Skye?"

"Yeah?"

"For the record, I don't think you look gross at all," then he leaves the room for real.

Skye just sits in her bed, a small smile growing on her face. Who knew almost dying in a fire would find her a date.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below! **

**Also, if you have any ideas for a prompt, feel free to let me know. It can be a single word, a phrase, a quote, song lyrics, a picture, etc. Just please keep it clean. Thanks. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	9. Can't Stay

**Hey babes! Here's another one for ya. The prompt for this was: "Please, don't leave". **

**I'm not sure how I feel about the title for this, but I honestly couldn't think of anything better. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Please, don't leave. I can't lose you."

Skye narrows her eyes at the man standing in front of her. He has a sad, pleading look on his face. "Yeah?" she questions. "Well maybe you should have thought about that before you slept with another woman."

"I'm sorry, Skye," he takes a step towards her. She remains where she is. "How many times do I have to say it?"

"Sorry isn't going to fix this, Grant," she tells him honestly. "I've gone through stuff like this before and it hurts like hell."

"Then stay, we'll figure all of this out."

"There is _nothing_ to figure out," she tells him in a soft, yet hard, tone. "You're obviously bored with me and unsatisfied with just make out sessions. I would say I'm sorry about that, but I'm not. Because after what I've gone through in the past, I don't sleep with someone right out of the gate. I really liked you, Grant. That's why I wanted to wait. I wanted our first time to be special."

"And it can be," he tells her, stepping just a bit closer.

"No, it can't," she whispers, this time taking a step back from him. "You cheated on me, Grant. I can't just look past that."

Frustrated, Grant balls his hands into fists and pulls at his hair, closes his eyes and groans. "I was weak, okay?" He looks at her. "She came over here unexpectedly and threw herself at me. I tried pushing her away."

"But you didn't."

"But I tried, I really did. I kept telling her I have a girlfriend—"

"Had."

"But she wouldn't listen to me. I didn't want to do anything with her, Skye."

"But you did, Grant. Despite how much you try and defend yourself, saying how you tried to stop her and all of that, you still gave in. You still had sex with her. Willingly."

"It didn't mean anything to me at all. I only met her once, I barely even knew her."

"And that's what makes it hurt the most," Skye tells him with tears in her eyes as she turns around and walks towards his apartment door.

Grant sighs frustratingly, "Skye, please! Don't go! I love you!"

Skye stops in her tracks, turning around to face him. "You what?"

"I love you. I wanted to say it someplace special, but then…all of this happened."

"You love me?" she asks him.

He nods his head, "Yeah."

She narrows her eyes again, "Well you should have thought about that before you cheated on me. Goodbye, Grant." She opens his apartment door and steps out, slamming it shut behind her.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below.**

**Also, I need your input. I need a clever movie title for a superhero movie about Quake and Hellfire. They're both superheroes. If you have a suggestion, drop me a line. It will be considered. Thanks. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	10. Misplaced Jealousy

**Hey babes! New one for ya. This one is much happier than the other. It's kind of cute and funny. The prompt for this was **"Wait a minute. Are you jealous?"**So of course I used it as a first line. I always do. It's more fun that way. **

**Anyways, enjoy!**

* * *

"Wait a minute. Are you jealous?" Grant raises an eyebrow at his wife.

"No, I'm not jealous."

"Don't lie to me, Skye," Grant steps closer to her. "I know you're jealous."

"Well you're wrong," she folds her arms across her chest.

"Oh really?"

She nods her head, "Yep. I am in no way jealous. Not a bit."

"Is that why you huff a little every time she gives me a kiss? Is that why you narrow your gaze whenever I whisper things to her? Is that why you leave the room every time she curls up next to me on the couch? Is that all because you _aren't_ jealous?"

She purses her lips. "Yes," she says quietly.

He smirks, "Hmm." He wraps his arms around her waist and pulls her close, "Well then I'd hate to see what you being jealous looks like."

She huffs, "Stop being dumb."

"That hurts, Skye," he says teasingly. "It really does."

She rolls her eyes, "You're so weird."

"No, I think you're the weird one in this situation. Because you are totally and completely jealous."

"Fine," she relents through gritted teeth. "I'm jealous."

He lets out a quick laugh, "I knew it! I can't believe you're actually jealous of her."

"Can you really blame me though? For the last three months you've been right there beside her. Practically every minute of every day. You two are basically attached to one another. That used to be us. I just want you back."

"I know. But she needs me."

"She's a freaking dog, Grant!"

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below! **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	11. Long Ride

**Hey babes! Here's a new one for ya. It's not super long, but it's still kinda cute. The prompt for this was: **_Meeting on a train ride au. _

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Looking up from his book, Grant sees a brunette woman standing in front of him, pointing to the open seat across from him.

"No, it's not."

"Can I sit there?" she asks him.

He nods his head, "Yeah, sure."

He watches as she sits down, pulling her bag onto her lap. Then he turns back to his book. He reads a few sentences before he hears her voice again, "I'm Skye."

He looks up at her, "Okay." He looks back down at his book.

"Aren't you going to tell me your name?"

He looks up at her, "Why would I do that?"

She shrugs, "I told you mine. It's only a common courtesy that you tell me yours."

He sighs, "You're not going to leave me alone until I tell you, are you?"

She smiles and shakes his head.

"Fine," he relents. "My name is Grant."

"No last name?" she questions.

"You didn't give me one."

"Don't have one to give."

He furrows his brow.

Before he can say anything further, she speaks again, "What are you reading?"

He glances down at the cover of his book before looking back at her, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."

"I think I tried reading that once," she tells him. "Got bored and never made it to the end though."

"Well it's a classic; you should try picking it up again sometime."

She shrugs, "Maybe. But I'm not really a book reader."

"Then what are you?"

"Computers," she grins. "I'm a technology kind of girl."

"For some reason that doesn't surprise me," he gives her a small smile. "Now can I get back to my book?" She nods her head. "Thank you," he sits back in his seat and starts reading again.

"Where are you headed?"

Closing his eyes briefly, he sucks in a breath and looks back up at her, "Boston. You?"

"The town right before that one, but I forgot it's name. What are you doing in Boston?"

"Visiting someone. Why are you asking me all these questions?"

She shrugs again, "I'm just curious."

"Are you sure that's all it is?"

She nods her head, "Yep. I'm just a naturally curious person. And when I'm sharing a train ride with a handsome stranger, I want to get to know him as much as I can on said train ride."

"Well it's a pretty long train ride," Grant informs her.

She smiles, "I know."

He sighs, "Fine. Ask me whatever you want, just nothing too personal. And I get to ask you questions too. It's only fair."

"Deal," she grins.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below! **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	12. You Promised

**Hey babes! Here's the next one for ya. Prompt was: "You need to wake up because I can't do this without you."**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You need to wake up because I can't do this without you." Skye reaches forward and grabs the man's hand in both of hers. She holds it tightly and looks down at their interlocked fingers, tears filling her eyes. She looks back up at the man lying in the hospital bed, "You're supposed to always be here for me. You've always been like family to me and I need my family here for this. I need you to walk me down the aisle, Lincoln. You promised."

She wipes a couple of stray tears from her face and then takes a deep breath, sitting back in her chair.

"How's he doing?"

Looking up, Skye finds her fiancé standing in the doorway of the hospital room, a cup of coffee in each of his hands.

"Not much better," she sighs as he walks towards her. She takes the coffee he holds out to her, "Thanks."

"No problem," he smiles at her as he gestures for her to stand up. He takes up the chair and then gestures for her to sit on his lap. She smiles at the sweet gesture and sits on his lap sideways facing the bed, laying her head against his chest.

"I really need him to wake up, Grant."

"I know, honey," he replies.

"He has to be at the wedding. He promised he'd walk me down the aisle."

"And he will. Even if we have to keep pushing it back until he wakes up."

Skye sits up and looks at him, "What?"

"I know how much he means to you, Skye. How he was like father and brother to you growing up. He's the one who is going to walk you down the aisle. If we have to push the date back by a month, or even a year, then that's what we'll do."

"But what about all the deposits we made on everything? And all of the guests?"

He shrugs, "It's not like we used our own money. That was my parents' money. And as for the guests, most of them are friends of my parents from whatever the hell they do in life. I'm pretty I don't know any of them. You and I never really wanted a big wedding anyways. When Lincoln wakes up, and he's feeling up to it, we'll just have a small get together with the ones who mean the most to us. And then Lincoln can walk you down the aisle."

"But—"

He shakes his head, "It's your day, Skye. I just want you to have everything you want."

"I think you mean _our _day," she smiles. "And as long you're waiting for me at the end of the aisle, I think I'll have everything I want."

He smiles, "I know. But still, you deserve to have the one other person who means so much to you present at the wedding."

"How did I get so lucky to find you?" She places her hand on his cheek and smiles at him.

"I think it was because you tried to pick pocket my mom's wallet and when she caught you I convinced her not to press charges and then offered to buy you lunch. Which you refused."

"Because I didn't want your charity," she tells him.

"Mm-hmm. And look where we are now. Engaged to be married."

She smiles softly, "Yeah. Amazing, huh?"

He smiles and nods his head, "Definitely." He leans forward and presses a gentle kiss to her lips before relaxing back into his chair.

The two of them sit in a comfortable silence, sipping on their coffees as the steady beeping from the machine monitoring Lincoln's vitals fills the room around them.

* * *

**So? What did you all think? Let me know in a review down below. **

**Also, I'm leaving on Saturday to spend a week with my brother and sister where they live. I'll be gone all next week, though I'll probably still have my computer with me. However, I don't know if I'll find the time to update next week. If I do find the time, then I'll update. If not, then I thought I should let you all know now so you're aware.**

**Thanks!**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	13. Father's Day

**Hey babes! I know I normally update on Tuesdays/Wednesdays, but since today is Father's Day, I figured I'd put up a cute Father's Day one-shot. So here you go, hope you enjoy! **

**Also, this'll be the only one-shot you get for the week. Cause I'm on vacation and probably won't have a lot of time to update. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Morning handsome," Skye smiles sleepily as she slowly opens her eyes and sees Grant standing at their dresser, looking for some clothes.

He turns around and smiles at her, "Morning, beautiful."

"Hey, guess what?" She speaks up as she rests her head in her hand with her elbow propped up on the bed.

"What?"

"Happy Father's Day," she gives him a goofy smile.

He chuckles, "Thank you, honey. But technically I'm not a dad yet."

"I know. But I'm within a few days of my due date. So who knows what might happen."

Smiling, Grant walks over to the bedside and kneels down so his face is level with Skye's stomach. He places both of his hands on it and leans in, "Hi angel. It's about time for you to come out now. But no pressure or anything, you come on out whenever you're ready. Your mom and I are just really excited to finally meet you."

Skye smiles at the sight before her. Even after nine months, the sight of him talking to their unborn baby still makes her heart swell with so much love for him.

Grant places a single kiss to her belly before standing up and pressing a kiss to his wife's lips. "I love you," he says against her lips.

"I love you too. Now go make me breakfast."

Pulling away, he quirks an eyebrow at her, "Um, since it's a holiday for me, shouldn't you be the one making me breakfast?"

She raises both of her eyebrows at him, "Really? Because I can barely stand on my feet for two minutes without getting lightheaded. What makes you think I'd be able to cook you breakfast?"

He chuckles, "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I'll go and get breakfast started. What do you want me to make?"

"Hmm. How about French toast?"

He smiles, "French toast it is." He leans down to press a quick kiss to her lips before standing up and making his way out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen.

* * *

Skye slowly trudges into the kitchen, one hand resting on her lower back, the other resting underneath of her stomach. She makes her way over to the kitchen table and pulls a chair out, sitting down in it and immediately relaxing.

She takes a deep breath and then smiles, "Breakfast smells really good."

Grant turns slightly away from the stove and smiles at her, "I'm glad you think so. It'll be ready in about five minutes."

"Good. I'm starving."

"I know," he smiles as he flips a few of the French toast slices.

There's a few moments of comfortable silence as Skye messes with her phone and Grant finishes cooking their breakfast.

"Alright," he says as he puts the food into their dishes. "Breakfast is now—"

"Grant," Skye cuts him off.

"Yeah?" he replies, beginning to pick up the dishes of food.

"I think my water just broke." She looks up at him with a wide eyed expression on her face, "The baby's coming."

Grant's eyes go wide as well and he immediately shifts modes. "Okay, wow." He sets the bowls back down on the counter. "Okay. Um, I'll go grab your hospital bag from upstairs and then I'll be back down to help you out to the car."

"Okay," she says as Grant makes his way up the stairs to their bedroom.

Skye smiles at the sight and then looks down at her stomach, rubbing it affectionately. "Can't wait to meet you, baby girl. Not much longer now."

* * *

"I still can't believe she's actually here," Skye says aloud in a slight whisper as she gazes down at the beautiful sleeping baby in her arms.

"I know what you mean," Grant replies with a smile on his face. "She's definitely going to turn our entire world upside down."

"Yeah, she is. But in a good way."

"The best way." He smiles down at his baby girl, watching as she sleeps soundly in Skye's arms, one of her tiny hands curled into a fist and resting against Skye's chest. "I just hope we'll be good at this."

"Of course we will be," Skye tells him with a small smile. "And she's going to absolutely love you."

"You really think so?"

She nods her head, "I know so. And hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"Happy Father's Day," she smiles at him.

He smiles back with tears gleaming in his eyes, "Yeah, it really is."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below! **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	14. A New Addition

**Hey babes! Here's a new for you. I don't think there was an actual prompt for this one. It was one that I started writing for a different fandom. Then I stopped writing for that fandom, and I still loved this idea. So I changed it to Skyeward. **

**So here you go. Enjoy!**

* * *

Grant picks up the remote control off of the arm of the couch and holds it in his hand, beginning to flip through the different channels.

"What are you doing?"

He looks down to see his wife, Skye, looking up at him sleepily.

"Hey," he smiles down at her. "I thought you were asleep."

"I was," she tells him, sitting up and stretching. "I just woke up and saw you flipping through the channels."

"Yeah, the movie ended so I'm seeing if there's anything else on."

"Oh, okay," she sits back against the couch and leans into Grant's side, he wraps an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. She lays her head on his shoulder. Grant continues to flip through the channels, looking for something to watch. "Wait!" she sits up suddenly after a few moments of channel flipping. Grant stops clicking the button and lets whatever is on the screen play.

When he realizes what it is, he groans and lets his head drop against the back of the couch, "Can I please switch the channel?" He lifts his head back up, "You know how much I hate watching these commercials."

"Stop being such a baby," she hits him gently in the chest with the back of her hand and turns her attention back to the screen in front of her. It's a commercial for pet adoptions with a Sarah McLaughlin song playing softly in the background.

"Please? Can we turn off the commercial?"

Skye just ignores him.

As soon as the commercial is finished, Skye turns to look at Grant, "I think we should adopt."

"A baby?" Grant asks, his eyes going wide. He sits up quickly, turning sideways so he can get a better look at Skye, "Look, I know nothing has happened yet. But we only got married a few months ago, and we're pretty young, we still have time to—"

"Grant!" Skye shouts, getting his attention. "I wasn't talking about adopting a baby; I was talking about adopting a puppy."

It takes Grant a moment to register what Skye said and he lets out a breath he had been holding, "Oh, okay. Well why do you want to adopt a puppy?"

"Every time I see that commercial I feel really bad for the animals who don't get adopted and are just left there. I think we should adopt one. And not just any dog, a puppy. I want to have one of them for as long as possible."

Grant thinks for a minute and then smiles at her, "Well in that case, why don't we go to the pound tomorrow and see if we can find a puppy that suits your fancy."

"Really?" She beams.

"Of course. I think it'll be nice for us to have a pet. And dogs are very loyal if you love them and care for them."

"Then it's settled," Skye smiles. "Tomorrow we go to the pound."

* * *

*The next day*

"Oh my goodness!" Skye exclaims as she rushes up to a cage and kneels down in front of it. "Look at this one, Grant!"

Grant walks over to where his wife is and stands right behind her. He looks down into the cage to see the cutest puppy he has seen so far that day. It's a small chocolate lab with big black eyes looking up at the both of them.

Grant steps back for a moment and glances at the chart hanging next to the cage. "He hasn't been adopted yet," he tells Skye.

"Can we get him?" She asks eagerly, looking up at him.

"I don't see why not. He's cute, and he seems to really like you," he says, noticing the way she is playing with the puppy through the cage door. He turns around, looking around the area to try and find an employee. "Excuse me," he says when he sees a woman walking down the aisle. She turns towards him. "Hi," he smiles at her. "We'd like to adopt this puppy, please," he gestures to the puppy Skye is still playing with.

The woman happily walks towards them. "Aww," she smiles down at the puppy, "you've certainly picked a cute one." She steps towards the cage and bends down to pick up the puppy, cradling him in her arms. "This is Buddy," she says to Grant and Skye. "He was abandoned by his owners when he just a few weeks old."

"The poor thing," Skye frowns, reaching out to pet the puppy's head. "Hi Buddy," she smiles at the dog, "you wanna come live with us? We'll treat you really, really well."

The small puppy gives out a tiny yelp as he nuzzles Skye's palm with his wet nose. Skye giggles, "I'll take that as a yes."

The woman holding the puppy smiles, "Excellent. Well, why don't we go to the front desk and get all the paperwork in order for the adoption. Then we can figure out all of what you'll need for the newest member of your family."

"Can I hold him?" Skye asks the woman.

"Of course you can," she replies, carefully transferring the puppy to Skye's arms. The puppy instantly curls up against Skye's chest, letting out another happy yelp.

Skye smiles down at the puppy, "You, Buddy, are going to be so spoiled." She plants a kiss to the top of the dog's head.

Grant smiles at the sight in front of him, watching as Skye whispers to the dog while they follow the employee around the store. He has one hand on the small of her back, helping to guide her because her attention is focused solely on the small puppy in her arms.

* * *

"You ready to see your new home, Buddy?" Skye asks the dog as she lifts him out of the carrier in the backseat of the car. The dog lets out a small yelp and Skye smiles. "Babe, will you get Buddy's things out the car and bring them inside, please?" she calls to Grant as she makes her way towards the front of the house.

"Why can't you grab some of it?" He calls back, opening the trunk of the car.

"Because I'm carrying our child to show him his new wonderful home."

"He's a dog, Skye."

"Yes, I know," she smiles over her shoulder as she unlocks the front door and steps inside.

Grant just sighs and shakes his head, a smile on his face, as he reaches into the backseat and grabs some of Buddy's things.

Making his way up to the house, he can hear Skye talking excitedly to Buddy, showing him the house.

It really was a good idea to get a dog.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below! I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	15. Better Than Decent

**Hey babes! Got a new one for ya. The prompt for this one was **"Wanna dance?"**. So here you go. Just a cute little one-shot. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Wanna dance?"

Looking up from her plate of food, Skye sees a guy standing in front of her. He has short black hair, dark brown eyes, and is wearing a suit.

"Excuse me?" she asks him.

"I asked you if you want to dance."

"Um, I barely even know you."

"I'm Grant. We've been going to the same school since the third grade."

"Oh," she says. "I'm Skye."

"Yeah," he smiles and nods his head. "I know who you are."

"Hmm. Are you stalking me?" She raises an eyebrow.

His eyes widen, "No. I promise I'm not stalking you. I've just noticed you, that's all. And I'm a little surprised you aren't out there dancing with someone already. Because from the way I see it, you could have any guy you want here."

She smiles, "Well thanks for that. And actually, I was here with someone."

"_Was_?" he raises an eyebrow.

Skye sighs, "Yeah. He uh, apparently he realized he didn't actually want to be at the dance with me and is now off somewhere with some whore doing whatever the hell he wants to." She uses her fork to push around the food on her plate.

"Well that's his loss," Grant smiles. "I may not know you very well, but I do know you don't deserve to be just left here without someone to dance with."

"Who says I want to dance?" she asks him.

He grins, "I know you want to dance."

"What would you do if I said yes?"

"Well, I _did _already ask you to dance, so I'd probably take you onto the dance floor and hope I've made your senior prom a somewhat decent night."

"You really think you can do that?"

"I'd like to try," he smiles.

She smiles back, "Alright then. Let's go dance."

He smiles and holds his hand out to her. She accepts his hand and links their fingers together, allowing him to lead her onto the dance floor.

Once they reach the floor, Grant gently tugs on Skye's hand so she turns to face him, letting his other hand land on her lower back.

"You've got some skills," Skye smiles at him as she places her hand on his shoulder and the two begin to slowly dance across the floor.

He shrugs, "Just some of the stuff I've seen in the movies."

She nods her head, "Uh-huh. So, Grant, if we've gone to school together since we were kids, why haven't I ever noticed you before?"

"I like to stay in the shadows, so to speak. Don't really like being the center of attention, so I try to avoid getting involved with things and people."

"So you just avoid people altogether? That's kind of a crappy way to live your life."

"Well I don't avoid everyone. Just most people."

"Are you implying you have friends?"

He chuckles, "Yeah, I guess I am. I really only have two close friends, though. I don't know if you know them."

"Tell me their names, maybe I've heard of them."

"Leo Fitz and Kara Palamas."

"I think I've met Fitz once or twice, he just started dating my friend Jemma at the beginning of the year. Wait, if our friends are dating, how come we've never met before?"

"Fitz knows I don't usually like meeting new people unless I specifically say I want to. So he hasn't bugged me to meet Jemma or anyone else."

"Okay. And your other friend, Kara, I don't think I've ever met her before either. The name sounds kind of familiar though."

"She kinda likes to stay in the shadows too. We met in sixth grade and we kind of just clicked as friends. She's a little more outgoing than I am, but she still likes the shadows."

"And did she come out of the shadows tonight like you did?" Skye asks him.

"She did," he nods his head. "She's actually the one who begged me to come here with her. Not necessarily as her date, but just so she'd have someone to talk to and hang out with."

"So does that mean while you're here dancing with me, she's off all alone?"

"Yes, but she doesn't mind. She actually encouraged me to come over and ask you to dance."

"Oh really, and why would she do that?"

He lowers his head and mutters something.

Skye furrows her brows, "What was that?"

He looks up at her and sighs, "She sees the way I look at you whenever we're in the same room together."

"And what way would that be?" Skye inquires.

Grant looks down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at Skye, "Like you're the entire world."

"What?" Skye's breath hitches slightly.

Grant swallows nervously, "I've uh, I've liked you for a long time. But it wasn't until the 8th grade when it really hit me. You showed up to the end of year party wearing those denim shorts and that light blue tank top. You uh, you had your hair down, which is what surprised me, because you rarely wore it down during the school year. And then I saw you dancing with one of your friends, and I just thought you looked so beautiful."

Skye's jaw drops slightly, "Oh my—wow. You actually remember what I wore to a party that was four years ago?"

He nods his head, "It's hard to forget. I almost talked to you that night."

"What? Why don't I remember talking to you?"

"Because we didn't actually talk," he tells her. "I was working up the nerve to talk to you when one of your friends pulled you away to another area. I couldn't get to you all night."

"Why didn't you just come up to me while I was with my friends?" She asks him. He raises an eyebrow. She nods her head in understanding, "Right. Of course. You try and avoid most people."

He chuckles, "Yeah. And after that I could never work up the nerve again to try and talk to you."

"So you just spent all four years of high school not working up the nerve to talk to me because of one botched attempt when we were kids?"

He nods his head and looks down, "Yeah."

"Well that's completely crazy," Skye says as she wraps her arms around his neck. He just stands there awkwardly with his arms out. She smiles, "You can put your hands on my waist, or my hips, whichever you prefer."

Grant sucks in a breath as he slowly moves his hands to rest on her hips.

"There you go," she smiles softly. "Now, back to what I was saying. It's completely crazy for you to have taken four whole years to try and talk to me again. It's not like I'm exactly popular around here. I mean, yeah, I've got a ton of friends, but there are people who are way more popular than I am."

"That may be true. But you did get more beautiful and therefore more intimidating over the years."

"You think I'm beautiful?" She asks him.

He nods his head, "Absolutely."

"Well I think you're pretty handsome yourself," she smiles.

"Thanks," he smiles back.

"No problem." She pauses for a moment before speaking again, "And hey, I think the song changed a while ago. It's not a slow one anymore."

"So," he shrugs. "Doesn't mean we have to stop swaying, does it?"

"No," she smiles. "I guess it doesn't."

Standing up on her toes, she gently presses her lips to his cheek, lingering for just a moment. When she pulls back, she smiles up at Grant. "Thank you," she says to him.

"For what?" He furrows his brow.

"For making this a better than decent night."

"You're more than welcome," he smiles back.

Skye smiles and then steps closer, moving her arms to hug him around his torso as she lets her cheek fall to his chest, resting it there.

Grant smiles at the gesture and wraps his own arms around her, dropping his head so his cheek is resting atop her head.

The two of them stand near the back of the dance floor, away from the rest of the students, swaying from side to side as the notes from an upbeat dance song play through the speakers.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below. :) **

**Also, if you guys have any suggestions, please let me now. Anything works. A word, a phrase, song lyric, quote, etc. Just please keep it clean. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	16. Slightly Unfortunate

**Hey babes! Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was kind of busy, but I'm posting today. And guess what? TODAY'S MY BIRTHDAY! :) I am now 19 years old but I don't feel much different than I did yesterday. But I'm going out to dinner tonight with my parents for my birthday and then I'm having a couple friends over tomorrow. So that's exciting. :)**

**Alright, so the prompt for this one was: **"_sorry I knocked you out in that bar fight last night, but I brought you to the hospital and stuck around 'til you woke up to apologize". _

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Slowly cracking her eyes open, Skye groans at the pain behind her eyes from the light shining down on her. "Ow," she drawls as she closes her eyes again and covers them with her hands.

"You're awake. Oh thank goodness."

Removing her hands from her face and opening her eyes, Skye slowly turns her head to the side to see a man sitting in the chair next to her bed. He has short black hair and dark brown eyes, is wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt that has a few stains on it. He also has a few scrapes on his face as well as a small bandage on his left cheek.

"Who are you?" She asks the man.

"I'm Grant. You probably don't remember me."

"No, I don't. Where am I?"

"At the hospital."

"What? Why am I at the hospital?"

"That's uh, that's kind of a funny story actually," he rubs at the back of his neck nervously.

"Make me laugh," she says with a blank look on her face.

"Well, you see, I was at this bar, and I assume you were too, and I sort of got onto a fight with this punk kid who thought he was tough."

"I'm not laughing yet."

"Yeah, uh, while I was fighting this kid, I may have, sort of, accidentally, knocked you down with my elbow."

"Is that why my head hurts so much?" She asks him.

"Um, yeah. I kind of got you right on the side of your head. As soon as I realized what happened I brought you here to the hospital and stayed with you until you woke up. Which is right now."

"Oh. So how long do I have to stay here?" She uses her hands to slowly push herself further up the bed so she's sitting.

He shrugs, "I don't know."

"But I do."

Grant and Skye both turn towards the end of the bed to see the doctor walking through the curtain around Skye's hospital bed.

"Glad to see you awake, Skye," the doctor smiles.

"Glad to be awake," she says. "Though I would be even more glad if my head would stop hurting."

"That's natural," the doctor informs her. "From what Mr. Ward told me about what happened, you hit your head pretty hard. First from his elbow and then when you hit the floor."

"Is that why I was out for so long?" She asks the doctor.

"Pretty much."

"Okay. So when can I go?"

"Are you in a rush?" The doctor asks her.

"I've just never been a huge fan of hospitals."

The doctor smiles and nods his head, "Yes. Well, we'll try and have you out as soon as possible."

"Awesome. Thanks."

"Of course. I have to go and check on some of my other patients, but I'll be back in here in a little while to check on you again."

"Great," Skye smiles at him. The doctor gives her a final smile before turning and leaving the room.

* * *

"You're still here," Skye comments as she walks into the lobby to see Grant sitting in one of the chairs.

He stands up and walks towards her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, I realized you probably don't have a way to get home."

"I can walk."

"I wouldn't feel right letting you walk home. Not after I knocked you out like I did."

"What makes you think I can't handle myself out there?" She quirks an eyebrow.

"No no no," he says quickly, "it's not that. It's just, it would make me feel a lot better knowing you get home okay."

Skye thinks for a moment, "Fine. I'll let you take me home."

He smiles, "Great. My car is parked out front. Shall we?" He gestures to the front hospital doors.

"Yep," Skye gives him a small smile before walking past him towards the doors.

* * *

"Alright," Grant says as they climb into his car. "Where to?"

"Just pull out of here and take a left on the first street."

"You know it'll be easier if you tell me your address."

She shrugs, "I barely know you. I'm not telling you my address."

He chuckles quietly and holds his hands in the air, "Alright, alright. That's fair." He starts the engine to his car and slowly backs out of his parking space and onto the road. "I'm really sorry I knocked you out at the bar," Grant tells her when he stops at the red light.

"Thanks. And it's okay. I'm fine, so it's not a huge deal."

"Still, I feel really bad about it."

"Well stop. I am perfectly fine. I don't need some random guy worrying so much about me, alright?"

"Sorry. Sorry." The light turns green and he pulls the car forward, switching into the left turn lane. "Now where?" he asks when he turns onto the street.

"Keep going straight. My house is on the left at the end of the street."

"Okay," he nods his head and keeps driving.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Skye speaks up, "My house is the third one on the left."

"Got it," Grant replies before pulling up to the curb on the left-hand side of the road, shifting the car into park. "Well, here we are."

"Thanks," Skye smiles at him. "For the ride home and for taking me to the hospital earlier."

"It's the least I can do," he smiles back.

"Alright, well, I should probably get going," she reaches for the door handle and pushes open the car door. "Thanks again." She climbs out of the car and shuts the door.

"No problem," Grant smiles at her through the open window.

Skye walks around the front of the car and then up towards the front of her house.

Grant quickly rolls down his window and leans out of it, "Hey Skye."

She turns around, "Yeah?"

"It was nice meeting you. Even if it was under slightly unfortunate circumstances."

She smiles, "Yeah, you too."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	17. Teach Me

**Hey babes! It's been a while since I've posted in this collection, but I've been focusing on other things. Like Skyeward Month, if any of you were reading those stories. I've also been focusing on getting ready for college, which is where I'm at right now. So I figure, I've got a little bit of time today, I think I'll post something. I know I don't usually post to this collection on Sundays, but I have something special planned for Tuesday/Wednesday. **

**So, the prompt I found for this one is: **"_Teach me how to play?"_**. I think it's a pretty cute one. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Exactly how long have you been standing there?"

Grant smiles at Skye from the doorway to the high school music room. She's sitting at the grand piano in the room, a shy smile on her face.

He takes a step towards her, "Not long. I saw you in here as I walked by. Thought I'd stop and see what's going on," he drops his backpack to the ground and then leans against the piano.

"I've always loved the piano," she tells him, looking down at the keys in front of her. "But I've never had lessons and I don't even know how I'd go about teaching myself how to play. So sometimes during lunch or after school I'll come in here and just sit. Ms. Larson doesn't mind me coming in here." She shakes her head, "I know it probably sounds silly."

"No, it doesn't."

Skye looks up at Grant, "It doesn't?"

He shakes his head, "Nope. It's not at all silly to have a dream."

"I wouldn't exactly call it a dream."

"Then what would you call it?"

Skye tilts her head in thought, "Wonderment."

Grant smiles and nods his head, "That's a good way to put it."

"Yeah." She looks down at the piano again, "I don't know what it is about the piano that fascinates me so much. I think it might be because you can make so many different sounds with a piano, and they're all so beautiful, no matter what sound you're making."

"Yeah, I've noticed that too." He moves around behind Skye to the other end of the piano bench and sits down next to her. He lets his hands hover over the keys before taking a deep breath and resting his hands on the ivory keys. He takes another deep breath before starting to play out a smooth, flowing melody. Skye watches in awe as his fingers fly gracefully across the keys, creating the most beautiful sounds she's ever heard.

When he finishes playing, he pulls his hands off the keys and rests them on his pant legs.

"Wow," is all Skye can say. "That was…amazing. Really amazing."

He ducks his head, "Thanks. It's uh—it's just something I came up with."

Her eyes widen, "On the spot?"

He chuckles and looks up at her, "No, I didn't come up with it just on the spot. I've been working on it for a while."

"Well it's really good."

"Thanks. I like to play around with different melodies. But that's all I ever have, just the melodies."

"How long have you been playing?"

"For as long as I can remember. My mom is the one who taught me how to play. She was really good at the piano; she used to play the most amazing songs for me to fall asleep to. She could have been a professional, but she had to take care of me, my brother, and my sister. She was a single mom."

"Was?" Skye asks hesitantly.

Grant nods his head and looks down, "Yeah. She uh, she died when I was in sixth grade."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Thanks," he gives her a small smile.

"Can I ask how she died?"

Grant nods his head. He looks at Skye, "She was really sick. Had been for a few years. It was pretty hard on my older brother and sister. We moved in with my Gramsy after my mom passed; my brother and sister weren't too happy about moving because we went to a different city so they had to leave all their friends. I wasn't too good at making friends back then, so it wasn't as hard on me as it was on them."

"Wow. That must not have been easy for your Gramsy either."

"It wasn't," he tells her honestly. "But we all managed to get through it. I stopped playing piano for a while, because I couldn't play it without thinking about my mom."

"And now?"

"Now," he takes a deep breath, sitting up straight, "I play it in her memory." He looks over at Skye and smiles, "When I play, it feels like she's right there beside me, encouraging me and rooting me on."

Skye smiles, "That's really great. But now I have a question for you. And it's okay if you say no."

"I think I'd like to hear the question first before I possibly say no."

"Oh, right." She looks down, playing with her hands in her lap, "Teach me how to play?"

"What?"

"Will you teach me how to play the piano?" she repeats, looking up at him. "I understand if you don't want to, because it's something you shared with your mom, but I want to learn how to play and you know how so I thought it'd be a good idea. But now that I think about it, you might not want to, and that's totally okay because—"

"Skye!"

"Yeah?"

He gives her a small smile, "I'd love to teach you."

"Really? Because you don't have to. It was something special you shared with your mom."

He smiles, "It's fine, really. In fact, I think she'd be the one telling me to teach you. I think she'd want me to share my talent with someone."

Skye smiles, "Awesome. Thanks."

"No problem. So, do you want to start right now, or…?"

"Um, not right now. I have a bunch of homework and stuff. But uh, maybe tomorrow? During lunch?"

Grant nods his head, "I'll be here."

Skye beams, "Awesome. Okay. This is great." She stands up from the bench and picks up her bag, swinging it onto her shoulder, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Tomorrow."

Skye gives him a small wave as she turns and makes her way out of the music room. A smile is on her face the whole way home; she's finally going to learn the piano.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below. **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	18. I'm With You

**Hey babes! Here's a new one for ya! The prompt for this one was **"I'm with you, okay? Always."

**Also, the new episode tonight was definitely something else. If you haven't seen it yet, I won't say anything. Just know that certain parts of it were amazing. My jaw literally dropped. **

**Anywho, here's a cute lil one for ya. Enjoy!**

* * *

"_Another beautiful woman on the arm of high society's most handsome man, Grant Ward. Grant has been single for the last few years, but never fails to show up to events like these with a gorgeous woman on his arm. Where is he finding these women? And how many broken hearts has he left behind when he—"_

Skye shuts the TV off, angrily tossing the remote control onto the couch cushion beside her. She crosses her arms over her chest and scowls at the blank TV screen.

"Skye?"

Looking up, Skye sees her boyfriend entering her apartment, still wearing his suit, the jacket now hanging on one of her coat hooks right inside the front door.

"Hi," she greets him, turning back to scowl at the TV.

"Hey," he smiles, stepping towards her to press a kiss to her cheek as he loosens his tie. "How's your day been?"

Skye shrugs, "Like it usually is."

"Oh, okay." He moves into her kitchen, pulling open the refrigerator door. Leaning down, he peers inside, "Hey, do you still have any of that food left that we had for dinner last night?"

"I don't know, maybe. Didn't you eat at the benefit?"

"Not a whole lot. The food they serve at those benefit dinners are never very satisfying."

"Okay."

Standing up straight, Grant turns to look at Skye, "What's going on with you?"

She doesn't look at him, "I don't know what you're talking about."

He closes the refrigerator door, "Skye, seriously. What's going on? I've been here for less than five minutes and it feels like you're giving me the cold shoulder. And I don't even know what I did."

"Just forget about it," she tells him. "It doesn't matter."

He shakes his head and walks over to her, sitting down next to her, "I'm not going to forget about it, Skye. And yes it does matter. It matters to me because you matter to me."

"Doesn't seem that way," she mutters.

"What?"

She sighs and looks at him, "I said it doesn't seem like I matter to you much these days."

Grant furrows his brows in confusion, "Where would you get an idea like that?"

She stays silent, looking down at her lap.

"Skye, please. Tell me what's going on. I can't figure out how to fix whatever's wrong if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Are you ashamed to be seen with me?" she asks him without looking up.

"Whoa, what?" He shakes his head immediately, "No, of course not. Why would you even think something like that?"

She looks up at him, "Because whenever you go to a benefit dinner or charity event you always have some tall, lanky model on your arm and not me. It makes me feel like you don't actually want to be with me in public, that one day you'll just up and leave me for one those bikini models you're always seen with."

Grant reaches out to take her hand in his, "Hey, I'm with you, okay? Always."

Skye sighs, "I know that. It's just, I don't know. You're always taking those incredibly gorgeous women to all of these events and I don't exactly like it. Especially the girl you took tonight, she's gorgeous."

"Is that what this is all about? You're upset I didn't take you to the benefit? I know you, Skye. You wouldn't like it; it's all stuffy and pretentious."

"I don't care!" she exclaims, throwing her hands in the air. "I don't care if it'd be the most boring party in the history of boring parties. Do you know why I wouldn't care? Because I'd be at something that's a part of your life. But instead of going to those things to show my support for you and what you're a part of, I sit here and watch it all unfold on the TV screen in front of me while the people talk about if the latest woman on your arm could be your new girlfriend until you show up with a new one at the next event! And the only reason they talk like that is because no one knows I exist! No one in your fancy world knows we're together and it's killing me inside that I can't tell anyone because they won't exactly believe me."

He sighs, "You know the reason why no one knows about us. And it isn't because I'm ashamed of you; I could never be ashamed of you. It's because I want to keep what we have to ourselves for just a little while longer."

"It's been almost two years, Grant. How much longer do I have to keep it a secret that we're together?"

He reaches out and grabs both of her hands in his, "I just don't want this kind of life for you. I've grown up in the spotlight because of who my family is, but you haven't. Once we put it out there that we're together, nothing will be the same. You'll constantly have paparazzi hounding you and trying to get every little detail about your life that they possibly can. I'd never wish that kind of life on anyone."

"Then why are you dating me if you don't want me to have that kind of life?"

"I'm dating you because I love you. I just don't want you to be exposed to all the glam and glitz and all the negative things that come out of that."

"I'll be fine, Grant. You know I'm not the type of person to let all that stuff go to my head. And I'm pretty tough too; I had to be tough growing up in the system."

He sighs, "Yeah, I know."

"So does this mean we can tell people about us now?" she asks hopefully.

He lets out a small laugh, "Yeah, I guess it does."

She grins and jumps on him, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug, "Yes! You're the best!"

He laughs a bit louder, "Thanks." He waits until she pulls out of the hug to speak again, "So, because we have decided to let the world know about us, do you want to come to a gala with me on Saturday?"

Her eyes widen, "Saturday? But didn't you just go to one tonight? It's only Wednesday!"

He smiles, "That's the life of the glitz and glam, babe."

She sighs, "Alright, I guess I can go with you."

"Great. It starts at 8 so I'll come by around 7:30 to get you." He leans forward to press a quick kiss to her lips and then moves to make his way to the door.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" she asks him, standing up from the couch.

He turns slowly to look at her, "Um, back to my place."

She shakes her head, "Uh-uh. You know what it does to me when you wear a suit. Let's go," she turns towards her bedroom and begins walking.

Grant smirks before he runs towards Skye, scooping her up into his arms when he reaches her. Skye shrieks and then laughs, wrapping her arms around Grant's neck to pull him in for a kiss.

* * *

"Babe, I'm here. Are you ready to go?" Grant calls out as he enters Skye's apartment.

"Almost," she calls back from the bathroom. "Just make yourself comfortable."

"Already am," he replies, moving into the kitchen to find something to snack on.

A few minutes later, while he is raiding the cabinets, Skye emerges from the bathroom and enters the kitchen.

"So, do I look completely ridiculous?"

Grant turns his head to look at her and a smile begins to grow on his lips when he sees her. She's wearing a pink cap sleeve dress that reaches down to mid-thigh with a slightly plunging neckline. Her hair is waved and hanging down on both shoulders. She has a pair of small black heels on her feet.

He closes the cabinet door and shakes his head, "Not ridiculous at all." He moves towards her, "You are beautiful."

Skye smiles back, "Thanks." She reaches up and smoothes out the lapels of his jacket, "You look pretty handsome yourself."

"Thanks. Are you ready for the gala?"

Skye takes a deep breath, "Honestly? I have no idea. I'm a little nervous but also kind of excited. How should I act while I'm there? Because I don't want people to look at me like I'm crazy."

"Just act like yourself," he smiles, placing his hands on her arms reassuringly. "I've already been to enough of these things with super snobby, self-absorbed women. I don't want you to be another one of them. Just act like your wonderful self and if someone has a problem with that, they can talk to me."

"You're so good to me," she grins, tilting her head back to look at him while she leans forward to hug him.

"I know," he smiles, leaning down to capture her lips. When he pulls away, he smiles, "Shall we go to the gala?"

"We shall," Skye smiles.

"Good. But first, we have to do something else," he wraps one of his arms around her and holds her close against his side. He holds his phone up in front of their faces, "Smile."

"What are you doing?" she asks him.

"I'm taking a picture for Instagram."

"That's how you're going to tell the world we're together? Through Instagram?"

He smiles and nods his head, "Mm-hmm. I have quite the following on social media; it'll get the message across to many, many people."

"If you say so."

"I do say so," he replies. "This is the perfect way. Of course, that does mean that at the gala a lot of people will most likely ask me questions about our relationship. They might even try and corner you too."

"Wait, really?"

He nods his head, "Yeah. It can be a bit overbearing, but it is what it is."

Skye takes a deep breath, "Well whatever it is, I'm ready for it."

Grant smiles, "Have I told you lately how much I love you?"

Skye smiles back, "It may have come up."

"Well I love you. So, so much."

"I love you too."

He leans forward and gives her a quick kiss. When he pulls back, he holds the phone back up and looks at the camera.

Skye lets out a sigh and then looks at the camera as well, smiling wide.

Grant smiles and then snaps the photo, bringing it down so he can see it.

"That is a great picture," he smiles down at Skye. "Perfection in a single shot."

Skye rolls her eyes, "Stop being so cheesy."

"You love it," he grins.

Skye shrugs, "Maybe."

He chuckles and then looks to his phone, hitting the Next button and then tapping in the caption box.

_The most beautiful woman in the world is my date tonight. #foreveroffthemarket #almosttwoyearsandcounting #lovethisbeauty #neverbeenhappier_

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. **

**Also, if any of you are interested. I need some twitter handles for my other Skyeward story, _Luck of the Draw _and making them up is too difficult. If you don't mind your handle being out there for the world to see, let me know. I need ten more. Thanks. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	19. Just Kill It

**Hey babes! Got a new one for ya! If you watched last night's episode, then I'm sure you feel me when I say we all need something kinda cute and funny after a certain thing that happened between two people that none of us wanted to actually happen. **

**The prompt for this one was: **"_I know we've never talked before but there is a friggin __huge __spider in my apartment can you kill it for me" au**.**_

**Enjoy!**

* * *

A loud pounding at his front door pulls Grant away from his book. Bookmarking his page and closing the book, he sets it down on his coffee table and then stands up from the couch, making his way to the front door.

Pulling open the door, he sees a short brunette woman standing on the other side, a panicked look on her face.

"Hello," he says, unsure of what's going on.

"Hi," she breathes out. "Could you come over to my apartment real quick?"

He furrows his brows, "What?"

"Could you come over to my apartment, please?"

"Why would I come over to your apartment?"

She sighs, "Look, I know we've never talked before and have probably only seen each other in this hallway on occasion, but there is a friggin _huge_ spider in my apartment and it's freaking me out. Can you kill it for me?"

"You want me to kill a spider for you?"

She nods her head vigorously, "Yes. It's huge and it's just sitting there freaking me out."

Grant sighs, "Alright, fine. I'll kill the spider for you."

"Thank you so much," she breathes out in relief. "Come on, my apartment is just down the hall." She steps away from his door and begins making her way down the hall.

Grant grabs his key off of the hook just inside his door, steps out of his apartment and shuts the door behind him, following after the woman down the hallway.

Once he reaches the apartment, the door is already open. He steps inside, "Hello?"

"Back here!" He hears the woman call out from deeper within the apartment.

He moves further into the apartment, leaving the door open behind him. He walks down a hallway, finding another door open at the end of it. He peers inside to see the woman standing just inside the door, a terrified look still on her face.

"So, where's the spider?" he asks her.

"Over there," she points to the opposite end of the room by the window.

Grant makes his way over to the window, crouching down slightly to get a better look at the spider.

After a minute, he turns towards the woman, "You know, this isn't actually that big of a spider."

"Um, yeah it is. So can you please just kill it already? That thing is creeping me out real bad."

Grant sighs again, "Yeah, alright. Do you have some newspaper or a shoe or something?"

"Yeah, there's a shoe right there," she points to the closet.

Grant leans over and picks up a black flat, holding it tightly and turning back towards the spider. He takes a deep breath, steadies his hand, and then thrusts his arm out, crushing the spider beneath the sole of the shoe.

"One dead spider, just as ordered," Grant lifts the shoe off of the wall, revealing the dead spider on the sole. He holds it up to show the woman.

"Thank you so much," she breathes out in relief. "You are such a life saver."

"Yes, because this thing could have killed you," he replies sarcastically.

"Hey, you never know."

He rolls his eyes and sighs, "Alright. What would you like me to do with this now?"

"Throw it away," she says like it's completely obvious.

"Right, of course." He stands up and looks at her, "Garbage?"

"Over by the bed," she tells him.

He walks to the bedside and stoops down slightly, hitting the shoe on the inside of the trash can, allowing the dead spider to fall into it.

Once done, he stands up straight and looks at her, tossing the shoe back towards the closet.

"All done," he gives her a small smile.

"Thank you so much," she smiles back. "I know it was kind of ridiculous, but I'm just really terrified of spiders. Had a bad experience as a kid."

"It's no problem," he laughs quietly. "I'm just curious as to why you came to me instead of your boyfriend."

"I don't have a boyfriend," she tells him with a smile small.

He gives her a small smile back, "Oh, okay."

"Yeah. And out of everyone who lives on this floor, you're probably the least sketchy. So I thought you'd be my best bet."

"Alright, well, if you ever need me to kill another spider, you know where to find me," he smiles.

"Yes I do," she smiles back.

Grant smiles at her before he turns to make his way from the room.

"My name's Skye, by the way."

He stops and turns back towards her. He gives her a smile, "Grant."

"Nice to officially meet you, Grant."

"You too, Skye."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	20. A Funny Thing

**Hey babes! Here's a new one for ya! The prompt for this one was: **"_my family owns the hotel your family is staying in" au. _

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Where are you going?"

Stopping in her tracks to the hotel room door, Skye turns around to see her father standing at the other end of the room, his suit jacket in his hand, getting ready to hang it up in the closet.

"Hey dad," she smiles at him with a small wave.

"Hi. Where are you going?" He grabs a hanger out of the closet and puts his coat on, placing it back in the closet.

"Down to the pool," she tells him, gesturing to the bag she has on her shoulder.

"Why? I thought we were going to hang out up here for a little while once your mother gets back?"

"No offense dad, but I just spent _six hours_ on a plane with you and mom. I love you both, but all I want to do right now is go and relax poolside."

Phil sighs, "Fine. But we're all having dinner together tonight."

"Of course," Skye smiles. She turns back to the door and pulls it open, stepping out into the hallway and closing it behind her.

* * *

Stepping through the pristine, white metal gate surrounding the hotel pool, Skye looks around for a lounge chair to use. She spots one sitting unoccupied at the other end of the pool and quickly makes her way towards it.

Once she reaches it, she sets her bag down on the ground and hangs her towel on the back of the chair.

Pulling off her t-shirt, she shoves it into her bag and then sits down, pulling her tablet out of her bag. She lies back on the lounge chair, crosses her ankles, and holds her tablet up so she can look at it.

"Isn't using a tablet out here being a little counterproductive?"

Glancing up, she sees a guy standing directly in front of her chair, a white pool towel hanging around his shoulders. He's wearing dark blue swim trunks and black sandals. He's tall, with slightly tanned skin, short black hair, and dark brown eyes.

"Well I think that all depends on what I'm trying to do," she responds.

"You're at a pool," he tells her. "Isn't the point of being at a pool to go swimming?"

"Maybe for tiny children," she says back. "I'm just out here to relax and get away from my parents for a little while."

"Ooh, mommy and daddy problems," he moves to sit down on the edge of the chair next to her. He interlocks his fingers and then leans forward on his knees, "Do tell."

"And what makes you so sure I'm going to tell you anything?" She lays her tablet down flat in her lap.

"Because I know that deep down you're just dying to tell someone. You're obviously here with just your parents and you don't seem like the type to complain about your parents, to your parents."

"You think you have me all figured out, don't you?"

He just nods his head with a small smile.

She sighs, "I just spent six hours, non-stop, on a plane with my parents. So the last thing I want to do right now is be stuffed in our hotel room with them."

He smiles, "What? The hotel room not to your liking?"

She shrugs, "I've seen better." She lifts her tablet and looks down at it.

"I'm Grant," he tells her after a minute of silence between the pair.

She looks back up at him, "Okay." They're both quiet. "Oh, are you expecting me to tell you my name now?"

He nods his head again, "I was kind of hoping."

She sighs, "Fine. My name is Skye."

"Skye," he repeats. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

She lets out a quick laugh, "Oh you are so ridiculous."

"How so?"

"You're a player. Is that why you come to these hotels? To seek out unsuspecting young girls and lure them in with your good looks and charm? Only to break their heart at the end of the day?"

He raises an eyebrow, "So you think I'm good looking and charming? Thank you very much."

She rolls her eyes at him.

"Well Skye, I can assure you I am not a player in any way. I never have been and I never will be."

"Mm-hmm. Of course."

"I'm serious," he smiles. "Let me prove it to you. Let me treat you and your parents to dinner tonight."

"And how is that going to prove to me that you aren't just trying to schmooze my parents so they'll let us run away together?"

"Now you want to run away together?" He sits up straighter and runs his hands down his shorts, "Geez, Skye. I didn't know you felt that way."

She rolls her eyes again, "Shut up."

He chuckles and holds his hands up in defense, "Sorry, sorry. Back to dinner. Let me treat you and your parents to dinner and it'll show you I'm just a genuine guy."

Skye purses her lips for a moment, thinking. "I don't see how, but fine. I'll ask my parents."

"Excellent," he smiles, standing up from the lounge chair. "When you have your answer, just let the front desk know. They can get the message to me."

"Okay," she says.

"Well Skye, it was a pleasure meeting you," he smiles down at her. "And I hope to see you tonight at dinner." He turns around and walks off back towards the hotel.

Skye just shakes her head and turns her attention back to her tablet.

* * *

"Hi there," Skye greets the man behind the reception desk.

"Hello," the man smiles kindly. "How can I help you?"

"Um, I have a message for someone who's staying here, but I don't know what room he's in. He told me I can just leave the message here."

"Do you know this person's name?"

"Grant," Skye tells the man and watches as he types at his computer.

"Last name?"

"He didn't say," Skye frowns. "But he was young, short black hair, brown eyes."

The receptionist perks up, "Ah, yes. I know just who you are speaking of."

"Awesome," Skye smiles. "You can tell him my parents said yes."

The man smiles, "I will be sure he gets your message. And also, he came by earlier and asked me to make sure you got this," he holds a folded piece of paper out to her.

She takes the paper from him and smiles gratefully, "Thanks." She gives him a small wave as she turns away from the desk and back towards the elevators.

Once she's inside the elevator, she unfolds the paper to read it. _I knew your parents would say yes. :) Come by the hotel restaurant at 6:30_.

Skye just smiles and shakes her head as she folds the note and slips it into the back pocket of her shorts.

* * *

"Wow. This is an amazing restaurant," Phil comments as he and his family enters the in-hotel restaurant. "Really fancy. Probably really expensive as well. There's no way we can afford this."

"That's alright," Grant smiles as he approaches the small family. "I'm covering dinner tonight. And before you protest, it's fine. I assure you I can afford it."

"Alright," Phil says, somewhat hesitantly. "I'm Phil, by the way." He holds his hand out to the young man.

"It's nice to meet you, sir. I'm Grant."

"No need for the formal talk, Grant. Call me Phil."

"Alright, Phil," Grant smiles.

"Grant, this is my wife Melinda."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Grant smiles at the woman.

"Likewise," Melinda smiles at him. "And call me Melinda." He smiles and nods his head.

"And I assume you already know our daughter Skye," Phil says.

Grant looks at Skye and smiles at her, "We had the pleasure of meeting earlier today at the pool."

"You say pleasure, I say misfortune."

"Skye," Melinda warns her daughter.

"It's alright," Grant laughs quietly. "Now, how about we find our table?"

"That sounds great," Phil smiles.

"Great. Our table is right over this way," he turns and leads the group towards the back of the restaurant.

Skye steps in front of her parents to walk next to Grant, "Dude. What's with the nice guy routine?"

"I don't think I know what you mean."

"At the pool you were acting like you were super cool and stuff and all-that. And now you're just acting like a complete weirdo."

"So being a complete gentleman is suddenly weird?"

Skye nods her head, "Of course."

"Hmm. Well that's nice to know." He smiles down at her before straightening up and looking at her parents. "This is our table," he gestures to the fancy table behind him. "It's the best table in the restaurant."

"Looks expensive," Phil comments, earning him a quick slap on the arm from his wife.

Grant stifles a laugh, "I can assure you, Phil, the price is no problem."

"Alright," Phil lets out a sigh. "Shall we eat then?"

"Of course," Melinda grins. "That sounds like a great idea."

...

"So, Phil," Grant speaks up after he swallows some of his water, "what brings you all to Massachusetts?"

"Business," Phil replies. "Mel and I are on a business trip out here. Thought we'd make a family vacation out of it and bring Skye along."

"They forced me to come with," Skye frowns.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Melinda says to her daughter.

"Excuse me," the waiter approaches their table. "How is everyone enjoying their meals this evening?"

"Everything is excellent, Marco," Grant smiles.

"That's wonderful," Marco smiles. "Can I get any of you anything else?"

"I think we're okay," Phil says. "Thank you though."

"I want some dessert," Skye announces.

"Skye," her dad says. "I'm sure you'll be fine without it for one night."

"Oh it isn't a problem if she wants some," Grant tells Phil. "Like I said, I'm taking care of everything tonight."

"See dad," Skye speaks up. "Grant's taking care of everything. So I'm getting dessert." She looks up at the waiter and smiles, "What would you recommend?"

"Oh, Marco, give her my specialty," Grant says with a smile.

"Are you sure, Grant?"

Grant nods his head, "Absolutely. In fact, bring one for me as well." He looks over at Phil and Melinda, "Would you two like to try one as well?"

"Oh, no thank you," Phil smiles. "I think I've had more than enough tonight."

"Same here," Melinda smiles.

"Alright," Grant smiles. He looks up at Marco, "Just two of those then."

Marco smiles and nods his head once, "They'll be right out."

"Thanks Marco," Grant calls after the waiter as he makes his way towards the kitchen.

"So," Skye speaks, leaning forward and resting her forearms on the table, "what exactly is this specialty dessert you're having me try."

"You're just going to have to wait and see," Grant tells her. "It's a surprise."

Skye sighs, "You're really not going to tell me?"

Grant shakes his head, "Nope. All I will tell you is that it's very delicious. I invented it when I was a kid, but it's not on the menu, so no one knows about it."

"But now I know about it."

"True," Grant nods his head. "But I don't think you come here often enough to order it."

"Yes, but, who's to say I won't just tell everyone else here to order it?"

"I don't think you will," he says back.

She sits up and raises an eyebrow, "And what makes you so sure?"

"Because you seem like the type of person who actually likes the idea of having something secret that no one else knows about."

Before Skye can reply with another comeback, Marco approaches the table with two small desserts sitting on a silver tray. "Your desserts," he says as he places a dessert down in front of Grant and then in front of Skye.

"That was quick," Skye comments as she glances down at the dessert sitting in front of her.

"Yep," Grant responds, "the kitchen staff here is very, _very _efficient. Plus, they always have a few of these stocked up for me just in case I'm in the mood for one on short notice."

"You seem to have this place pretty well wired," she tells him. "You must stay here quite a bit." She scoops some of the dessert into her mouth.

He shrugs as he takes a spoonful of his dessert, "Well, my family owns the hotel, so yeah."

Skye's spoon clatters to the table and she drops her jaw. "Wait, your family _owns _this place?"

He just looks at her, "Um, yeah. You didn't know?"

"How on earth would I know that your family owns this place?"

He shrugs, "I thought it was obvious."

"Well it wasn't. You could have been a little more clear about that when we met."

"Sorry," he says sincerely. "It's just, usually when I tell people that my family owns this place, they always want some sort of perk or something. I thought you already knew so I didn't say anything. Though I did think it was kind of odd when you didn't ask for any kind of special treatment."

"I'm not one to exploit people like that. At least, not when I've first met them."

Grant chuckles. "So, are you mad at me?"

She purses her lips, "I'm not sure. I want to be mad, but this dessert is really good. So I'm torn."

"I can take the dessert away, if that'll make your decision easier."

She grabs the dish and pulls it closer to her, "No. This is going to stay right here and I'm going to finish it. Then I'll decide how I feel about you."

"Now you have feelings for me?" he smiles. "Geez, Skye. If I had known that giving you a tasty dessert was all it took, I would have brought this to you as soon as we met."

She shrugs, "Rookie mistake." He lets out a small laugh. Skye just smiles at him as she scoops up another spoonful of the dessert into her mouth.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. **

**Still looking for people who are interested in having their Twitter handle featured in an upcoming chapter of _Luck of the Draw_.**

**Also, who saw the 50th episode special video that Marvel released yesterday? I literally don't care about anything in that video except for Brett and Chloe. I mean come on, why do the writers insist on wasting their chemistry when they go and do things like that? **

**Another thing, if you guys ever have questions for me about any of my stories, or have suggestions or things, don't be afraid to ask/leave them. You can PM me here, drop me an ask/submission over on my Tumblr (skyeward-otp), or hop on Twitter and tweet at me (Gillybean729). Don't be shy. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	21. Beast Inside

**Hey babes! Here's a new one for ya! I actually really like this one. The prompt for it was: **werewolf AU**. And I took some inspiration from _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_, with Oz's werewolf storyline. How he transforms the night before, the night of, and the night after a full moon. **

**Also, who watches ABTVSHIELD? Because if you caught last night's podcast, they did something super cool at the end. They performed the _I Will Survive _Agents of SHIELD parody I wrote for them last week. I was not expecting them to do that. But they did, and I was literally shaking and trying not to cry the entire time. It was so glorious.**

**And now, the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey babe," Skye greets her boyfriend as she enters his dorm room.

"Hey," Grant looks up from his textbook and smiles at her.

Skye walks over to him and sits on the edge of his desk, "What are you doing?"

"Studying," he tells her.

"Again?"

"Well this _is_ college," he smiles at her, "where people go to learn things so they can get degrees to get jobs."

She rolls her eyes, "Yeah, I know. You just study a lot. Like way too much."

"That's because if I want to pass all of my classes and actually graduate, I need to study."

"Mm, you never like to have any fun with me," she complains, swinging her legs back and forth.

"We_ just_ went out to a party," he reminds her.

"I know. But that was two nights ago."

Grant smiles and places a hand on her knee, "I promise I'll take you to go do something tonight, then."

"Can we go to Providence?" Skye asks hopefully.

"The club on campus?"

"Yeah."

"Alright," he nods his head, "I guess we can go. I'll pick you up at 7."

"Yay!" Skye smiles, jumping off of his desk. She wraps her arms around his neck in a hug and plants a kiss to his cheek before leaving his room to go back to her own. "I love you," she calls as she walks out of the room.

"Love you too," he calls back as the door shuts.

...

"So what time is Grant picking you up tonight?" Jemma asks from her bed.

"Not until way later," Skye tells her best friend as she digs through her closet to find an outfit. "But I want to make sure I have the perfect outfit to wear tonight."

"Why? Isn't it just a regular date?"

Skye shrugs, "I guess so."

"Then don't make such a fuss about what you're wearing."

Skye sighs, "I know. I don't know why I make such a fuss about this stuff. Honestly, Grant likes whatever I'm wearing."

"He really is a great boyfriend," Jemma smiles.

"Yes he is," Skye smiles back. Her phone trills on her bedside table, alerting her to a new text on her phone. She steps over to the nightstand and picks up her phone, finding a new message from Grant. "Taking back the really great boyfriend thing," she sighs, tossing her phone onto her bed.

"What is it?"

"Grant just texted. Apparently he forgot he has something to do tonight so he can't take me out."

"Really? Did he say what it is he has to do?"

Skye shakes her head, "Nope. Just that it's important and he can't tell me. But he promises he'll take me out after he's done with what he has to do."

"Well that certainly isn't very nice," Jemma says.

"No it isn't," Skye responds. She sits down on her bed and thinks for a moment, "You know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"He did this to me last month too."

"Really?"

Skye nods her head, "Yeah. He bailed on me three nights in a row.

"Just last month?"

Skye shakes her head, "Nope. The month before that and the month before that."

"That's a bit odd," Jemma states. "Has it just been the last couple months?"

Skye shakes her head again, "He's been skipping out for three nights every month ever since we've been together. Even before that too, while we were still only friends."

"What do you think he does?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

"Are you going to follow him?"

"I'm considering it."

"Don't you think that's a little invasive?"

Skye shrugs, "Possibly."

"Then why are you going to follow him?"

"I'm a concerned girlfriend who wants to know what has her boyfriend occupied for three nights out of the month, every month. Honestly, it's a little disconcerting."

"Alright, well, don't come running back to me if he gets all broody cause you spied on him."

"Oh relax. Everything will be fine."

* * *

"Where are you going?" Skye whispers to herself as she follows Grant through the woods behind their school. She watches as he makes his way through the trees, a backpack slung over one shoulder.

"Come on," she whispers again, ducking behind a tree when Grant turns his head to look around him.

She watches as he steps down inside of a large gray concrete dome of sorts, shutting the door behind him.

Slowly stepping out from behind the tree, she quietly makes her way towards the door. She slowly pulls it open, being sure not to make any noise as she does so.

Walking down the steps, she takes in the surroundings. Everything is slightly musty and old. "Grant?" she calls out quietly as she steps down. "Grant, are you down here?"

She steps off the final stair and makes her way further into the room, hearing the rattling of chains coming from just up ahead.

"What the hell?" she exclaims when she stops in the doorway to an anti-chamber, finding Grant standing in the anti-chamber messing with a pile of chains. "Grant, what the hell are you doing?"

He whips his head to look at her, "Skye? You shouldn't be down here."

"_I _shouldn't be down here?" she raises an eyebrow. "_You _shouldn't be down here. This place looks like a death trap or something. It's probably abandoned for a reason. Now come on, let's get going," she waves her hand towards the door behind her.

He shakes his head, "No. I can't go. But you need to."

"Stop being difficult, Grant."

"I'm not being difficult," he looks down at his hands. "But you need to get out of here. Now," he snaps one of the clamps around his wrist.

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what the hell is going on."

Grant looks up at the small window above him and then back at Skye, "It's almost sundown, you need to go." He snaps the other clamp on his other wrist.

"No, I'm not leaving. Why on earth are you chaining yourself to a wall?"

"You wouldn't understand," he snarls. "Just please, go. I don't want you here right now."

"Well that's too damn bad. I'm your girlfriend, I love you, and I'm staying," she moves over to a bench in the wall and sits down on it. "I'm staying until I find out what's going on."

Grant looks up at the window again and then back at Skye, "It's sundown." He starts breathing heavily, small beads of sweat building on his brows and his chest.

"Grant, are you okay?" Skye asks, sitting forward.

"Don't come any closer," Grant shouts, curling in on himself. "Gah!" he screams.

"Grant!" She jumps up from the bench, taking a step towards him.

Grant curls in further on himself, his breathing becoming heavier, the sweat building up as he pants, gritting his teeth at the pain.

"Get back!" he growls, whipping his head up to look at Skye.

Skye's eyes go wide and she backs up against the wall, "What the hell?"

Grant screams as he curls in, his spine starting to protrude from his back. His muscles begin to expand, causing his pants to tear at the seams. Hair begins to grow excessively across his body and his ears grow larger as well.

"G-grant?" Skye hesitates stepping forward.

Grant jumps forward, pulling against the chains attaching him to the wall. Only it isn't Grant anymore.

...

Slowly opening his eyes, Grant groans at the beam of sunlight on his face. Sitting up, he takes a deep breath in, closing his eyes for a moment.

"You're awake."

Opening his eyes again, he turns his head to see Skye sitting on the bench across from him. "You're here," he says, beginning to undo the chains on his wrists and ankles. "For how long?" he asks her.

"I was here for a little while last night," she tells him. "But then I went for some air and came back a few hours ago."

"Okay," he slowly gets up and walks over to the backpack sitting in the corner a few feet away. He reaches inside and pulls out the pair of pants and t-shirt that sits inside. He pulls on the pants and then looks over at Skye, holding the shirt in his hands. "So uh, you saw what happened last night then?"

She nods her head, "Yeah. Um, what exactly—"

"Not here," he cuts her off, shaking his head. "I don't like being down here longer than I have to be. Let's go back to my room and talk there, okay?"

"Okay," she nods her head.

Grant stands up from the stone bench, slipping the t-shirt on over his head. He walks over to his backpack and picks it up off of the ground, swinging it up onto his shoulder. Before he leaves the room, he reaches inside his bag and pulls out an energy bar. "I always get a little hungry afterwards," he tells Skye, holding the bar up before ripping open the wrapper to take a bite. "Come on," he motions to the door. "Let's go."

Skye stands up from the bench and follows him up and out of the room, back into the woods.

* * *

"Alright," Skye speaks up when they enter Grant's bedroom, "you said we'd talk when we got back to your room." She moves and sits down on his bed, "So let's talk."

Grant sighs and sits down next to Skye, rubbing his hands up and down his legs nervously. He takes a deep breath, "I'm a werewolf."

"Yeah, I know."

His head snaps up to her, "You know?!"

She slowly nods her head, "Yeah, I saw you change last night."

"Oh, right. So uh, what do you want to know?"

"When—when was the first time you…changed?"

He swallows, "I was ten. Kara and I were hanging out one night, the night before a full moon. One minute we were just talking and goofing off, and the next thing I know, I'm lying naked on the ground. Kara somehow managed to find me and had some of my clothes with her. She told me what happened, that I changed into this beast and kind of went crazy. Then the next two nights, the actual full moon and the night after, I changed as well. After some research, we figured out I was a werewolf. Kara was with me through every change I went through; to make sure I was safe and didn't actually hurt anyone."

"So you've been changing three days out of the month, every month, for the last nine years?"

He nods his head, "Yeah, pretty much."

"How did you even become a werewolf in the first place? What happened?"

"I'm not too sure," he says. "But a few weeks before that full moon I had some kind of accident in those same woods. Kara and I were exploring but we got separated. I don't know exactly what happened, it all happened so quickly, but I got scratched up a few times on my arms. I thought it was just tree branches or something, but I guess it wasn't."

"How long have you been using that bunker to lock yourself up?"

"Um, only since I've been going to school here. Before that, I would lock myself in an abandoned warehouse near where we lived. It was only the first few changes when I wasn't locked up anywhere."

"So then how did you stay safe?"

"I'm not too sure on that, either. All I know is that Kara made sure I was safe and always had a change of clothes for afterwards. As well as something for me to snack on when I came back."

"And then you found the warehouse and started using it?"

He nods, "Yeah. I found it and told Kara about it, that it'd be a good place for me to stay while I changed. She agreed to stay with me each time while I changed. When I was looking for colleges, one of the first things I would do was look for any place where I could lock myself up during the full moon. I found this school as well as the abandoned bunker, and I knew it'd be perfect. I told Kara she didn't have to apply here too, that I'd be fine on my own, but she insisted. She said she was with me through all the changes before and she'd keep being there with me through all the rest."

"Then how come she wasn't with you last night?" Skye questions.

"She's out on that weekend trip with her class. She was worried about me going through it alone. But I assured her I'd be fine."

"How come you never told me about this?"

"Well it's not exactly the easiest thing to work into conversation. 'Hey babe, guess what? I've been a werewolf since I was ten. Want to go to a party tomorrow?' yeah, that would've gone over well."

"So were you just planning on keeping this from me for the rest of our lives?"

"I honestly don't know," he replies. "I didn't think too about it. I don't know how long we're going to be together, so I didn't know when, or even if, I'd tell you."

"Okay, but I know now."

"Yeah, and I'm kind of surprised you aren't running for the hills right now. Finding out your boyfriend is a werewolf isn't the most normal thing in the world."

"True," Skye nods her head. She reaches out for his hand and holds it in hers, "But I love you. And you turning into a big, hairy, crazy animal three days out of the month isn't going to change that."

He looks up at her and gives her a nervous smile, "So you aren't scared off or anything?"

"Well it will take a little getting used to," she says honestly, "but I think we'll be able to work through it."

His smile widens, "You really are the most amazing girlfriend."

She smiles back, "I know." She leans forward and kisses him. She pulls back after a moment, "Plus, this kind of explains why you get all growly whenever a guy tries to talk to me. Must be the animal in you."

"Either that or I just don't like other guys talking to my beautiful girlfriend," he smiles.

She smiles back. "Also, should we get some dog toys for you for while you're down in the cellar?"

Grant tosses his head back and lets out a bellowing laugh. He looks back at Skye, "While I appreciate the offer, I don't think dog toys will tame the animal that I become, Skye."

She shrugs, "It was just a thought."

"And it was a very considerate thought. It's one of the things I love about you."

"Good," she smiles. "And just so you're aware, I'll be down in the bunker with you tonight."

"What? No, Skye, no. I don't want you down there. You were already down there last night when I'd rather you not be and risk something happening and you getting hurt. It's happened before, according to Kara."

"You don't remember?"

He shakes his head, "No, I don't. I never remember anything that happens while I'm in wolf form. And it scares me that I can never remember what I do while I'm like that. Which is why I don't want you down there. I don't want to accidentally hurt you and then not even remember doing it."

"Then how come you let Kara go down there every time you change? Are you not concerned for her well-being?" she raises an eyebrow.

He sighs, "Of course I am, she's my best friend. But she's been there since my first change. She knows everything that goes on. She knows what to do if I get loose and accidentally hurt someone. She knows what to do after I change, to always have clothes and food for me. She knows how to take me down too, if I get loose. She's the only one who knows all of that stuff."

"Then teach me," she insists, grabbing his hands in hers. "Have Kara teach me all the stuff she knows about what to do when you change."

"Skye, I—"

"Grant, I love you," she reaches one hand up to his cheek. "I don't care if you're a werewolf. I want to be there with you when you change, even if it is kind of unsettling and hard to watch. I want to be there."

"There's no way I can talk you out of this, is there?"

She shakes her head and smiles, "Nope." She drops her hand back to his.

He sighs and then smiles at her, "Fine. I'll have Kara teach you everything she knows when she gets back. Then you can come down to the bunker next month."

Skye shakes her head, "Nope. I'm not waiting a month. I'm going back down with you tonight."

"Skye, no."

"Grant, stop. I'm going back down there tonight. I'll get out of there, though, if you get loose."

Grant sighs, "Okay, fine. But you have to _promise_ that you'll get out of there if something goes wrong. No hesitating, just run and come back here."

"I promise," she says.

"Thank you," he gives her a small smile and a peck on the lips. "Now come on, it's Saturday, neither of us have class. Let's go do something fun."

"Like chasing cars?" Skye suggests playfully.

Grant sighs and shakes his head, "How long are the dog jokes going to last?"

She grins, "Until I run out of them. Wanna go to the park and play some Frisbee?"

Grant just laughs and pulls Skye in for a kiss.

* * *

**So, what did you think? Let me know your thoughts in a review down below.**

**One other thing, who wants me to post the first chapter of _Fresh Start_ this weekend? (It's the sequel to _Back For You). _I'm thinking it's about time I get something for that one posted. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	22. Foreign Affairs

**Hey babes! I'm back again with a new one-shot for you! The prompt for this one was: **"_I'm on a school trip to another country and one of the locals is seriously hot" au_**. And so, this one was born.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So are you excited?"

Skye silently shrugs her shoulders as she messes around on her cell phone, not looking up at her friend Bobbi.

"Come on, Skye," Bobbi says from her spot in the airport seat next to her. "You have to be at least a little bit excited. We're going to Italy!"

"Yeah, I know."

"Then why aren't you excited?" Bobbi asks. "It's kind of awesome that the Nuns are letting you go."

"I like to think of it as them having the opportunity to get rid of me for a few weeks," Skye says, looking up at Bobbi.

"Well maybe if you'd stop causing so much trouble all the time around the house, they wouldn't want to get rid of you so much."

"Eh. It's fun causing trouble."

Bobbi sighs, "Well you better not cause any trouble in Italy, okay? This is supposed to be an educational trip with a bit of fun thrown in and I don't think anyone wants to be banned from the country because you had the not so smart idea to do something reckless and stupid."

"Wow. Harsh."

Bobbi shrugs and sits back, "I'm just telling it like it is."

"I can't make any promises I won't cause some mischief."

"You wouldn't be you if you weren't mischievous," Bobbi smiles.

Skye smiles back. "But I do promise I won't get anyone banned from Italy."

"Good. Because a lot of the other students would really hate you if you did."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Most of them are just too—"

"_Now boarding Flight #137 to Italy."_

Bobbi grins at Skye, "Come on." She stands up from her chair and grabs her backpack, swinging it up onto her shoulder. "Let's go find our seats."

Skye sighs and slips her phone into her pocket as she stands from her seat. She reaches down and picks up her bag, holding it in her hand. "Alright, let's go to Italy."

* * *

"This café is so cute," Bobbi smiles as she and Skye walk through the front door of a cozy little café on the corner across from their hotel.

"And it has a bakery in the back," Skye points out as they make their way to a table to sit down.

Bobbi breathes in happily, smelling the pleasant aromas of the food coming from the back of the building, "Mmm. Bakery in back means fresh baked goods all day."

"Yes it does," Skye smiles as she sits down in one of the chairs at the small table by the window. "When do you think someone will be over here to take our orders?"

"Patience, Skye," Bobbi says as she sits down across from her. "You should figure out how to use it."

"Meh," Skye shrugs her shoulders and pulls her phone out of her pocket.

"Are you really doing that?" Bobbi questions.

"Doing what?"

"Using your phone."

Skye looks up at her, "Duh."

"We're in Italy, Skye. _Italy_. Take a step back from your electronics and at least try to enjoy yourself."

"I'll enjoy myself when there's actually something to enjoy."

Bobbi raises her eyebrows, "Are you serious? It's Italy! We've never been here before. There has to be something here that even remotely interests you."

"I'll let you know when it happens."

"Good," Bobbi nods her head and sits back in her chair, letting her eyes roam over the expanse of the small café.

"Lo so, lo so. Non devi dirmi due volte, mamma."

"Bene, allora tornare a farlo."

"I think I might have just found something that interests me," Skye smiles as she sits up straighter in her chair, looking up towards the back of the café.

Bobbi follows Skye's eye line to see a tall guy with short black hair talking with an elderly couple at a table across the room. He's wearing black pants, a black t-shirt, and a white apron. His pants and shirt have small patches of flour on them.

"Are you serious?" Bobbi asks her friend.

"You told me to tell you when I found something that interests me."

"I meant a piece of art. Or a historic landmark. Not a _person_."

"Eh," Skye shrugs.

Bobbi rolls her eyes.

"Grant!" Someone calls from behind the counter.

Skye watches as the boy she had been eyeing turns around.

"Hi Marta," Grant smiles at the woman behind the counter.

"When are those desserts going to be ready? I have many orders for them."

"They'll be ready soon, Marta, I promise you," he smiles politely at the woman. "Kara called in sick today so I have to work extra in the bakery."

"Such a dedicated boy. Kara could learn a few things from you."

"Go easy on her," Grant says. "She's having a tough time."

"Ha sempre lo è," Marta mumbles.

Grant just gives her a look and then turns back to what he was doing before.

Skye smiles. "He certainly is one of the finer pieces of work we've seen here," she comments as she watches him smile and laugh with one of the customers.

"You have got to be kidding me," Bobbi says.

Skye turns towards her friend, "What?"

"He lives in Italy, Skye. You live in America. Even if something were to happen between you two, it would never work out in the end."

"Haven't you ever heard of long distance?"

"Yeah, and those kinds of relationships hardly ever last."

Skye smiles, "I'm sure I could figure out how to make it work."

"Good morning, ladies. Can I get you anything?"

Skye looks up to see Grant standing at their table and smiles at him, "Yeah. Your phone number."

Grant swallows, "I'm sorry, what?"

"Excuse my friend," Bobbi speaks up. "Subtlety isn't exactly her forte. But as for what we'd like, just give us the best in the bakery."

"You heard her," Skye grins, leaning her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand. "Pull up a chair and park your cute butt."

"I uh, um..."

"Skye," Bobbi says through gritted teeth with a smile, "leave the poor boy alone."

Skye sighs and sits up straight, "Fine." She looks at Grant, "We'd like the best pastries you have here, please."

Grant smiles, "I think I have just the thing for you. I'll be back in a moment," he turns and makes his way over to the counter.

"You're no fun," Skye says to Bobbi, leaning back in her chair.

"I'm just trying to save the poor boy from embarrassment," Bobbi replies.

Skye sighs, "Fine. I'll behave."

...

"Did you young ladies enjoy your pastries?" Marta asks Skye and Bobbi when they approach the counter to pay for their food.

"They were delicious," Bobbi smiles.

"That pastry wasn't the only delicious thing here," Skye mutters under her breath, earning her an elbow in the side from Bobbi.

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed them," Marta smiles. "Everything served here is home made in the back of the bakery. All old family recipes."

"Wow," Bobbi smiles. "That's really great."

"Yes, it is. And I hope you both come back soon."

"We will definitely be back before we leave," Bobbi smiles. "Your pastries are incredible."

"I am glad you think so," Marta smiles. She hands Bobbi a receipt, "Here you go."

"Thank you so much," Bobbi accepts the receipt, slipping it into her back pocket. She looks at Skye, "You ready to go?"

Skye nods her head, "Yeah. You?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Alright then, let's head out."

The two of them turn to make their way towards the front of the cafe.

"Miss!"

Skye stops and turns her head to see Grant standing in the doorway to the bakery, a nervous smile on his face.

"Hey," she gives him a smile.

He walks towards her until he's standing right in front of her, "Um, I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay here in Italy."

"Thanks. I hope I do too."

"And uh, um, here's my phone number," he holds a slip of paper out to her.

She reaches out to take it, their fingers brushing against each other briefly. "Thanks," she slides the paper into her back pocket. "I'll text you. Maybe we can hang out while I'm still in town."

"I would like that very much," Grant smiles and nods his head.

"Great," Skye smiles. "I guess I'll see you later then."

"Yeah, I guess so."

Skye gives him another smile before turning and making her way back towards Bobbi.

"Wait," Grant calls out again, making Skye stop.

She turns towards him, "Yeah?"

"I never got your name."

"It's Skye," she smiles. "My name is Skye."

* * *

"I know that we've only known each other for a week, but I don't think I want you to leave," Grant says to Skye as they lie together in the back of Grant's pickup truck, staring at the stars.

"I don't want to leave either," she replies, snuggling a bit closer to him. She lets out a large sigh, "But I have to."

"Do you? Can't you just stay here?"

"I wish I could," she says, tilting her head up to look at him. "But I have to go back. I have to get back to the orphanage. Even though the nuns will probably be glad to get rid of me, I have to go back."

"Will we still keep in touch?" he asks.

Skye shrugs, "I guess so. I mean, long distance relationships can be hard."

"I'm sure we will make it work," Grant tells her.

"Yeah, maybe. I just, I've never been good at relationships, not even local ones. So I don't know how I'm going to make a long distance one work."

"You just have to have some faith," Grant tells her. He looks down at her, "We can have Skype dates, if you want. We can set a specific day of the week or month, and we can Skype each other."

"You think of everything, don't you?" she smiles.

"I try to," he smiles back. "But I'm really going to miss you when you leave."

"I know," Skye says. "But you can always come and visit me. America's great, some of the time. There are some really great things to see where I live."

"Then I guess you'll have to show me sometime when I go there to visit you."

"Yeah," Skye smiles, "I guess I will." It's silent for a moment before she speaks up again, "Will you say it to me again?"

He smiles, dropping a kiss to her temple, "Sono sempre con te."

"Sono sempre con te," she repeats with a small smile.

* * *

"So, how does it feel to be starting college in a month?" Bobbi asks Skye as they make their way down the street. A small, quiet laugh makes her look to her side to see Skye staring down at her phone, a smile on her face.

"Earth to Skye," Bobbi says, waving her hand in between Skye and her phone screen.

"Huh?" Skye looks up quickly. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"You've been awfully interested in your phone for the last twenty minutes ever since we left the store."

"Sorry," Skye smiles sheepishly. "I've been texting Grant and he's just being really sweet."

Bobbi sighs, "Ah yes. Italian bakery guy."

Skye rolls her eyes, "Can you not call him 'Italian bakery guy', please?"

"Fine. I won't call him 'Italian bakery guy'."

"Thank you."

"But seriously," Bobbi continues, "are you guys still hanging in with the whole long distance thing?"

Skye nods her head, "Yeah, we are."

"That's good," Bobbi smiles.

"Yeah, it is," Skye smiles. "It was tough at first, but I think it's getting easier. We just Skyped with each other a couple of nights ago."

"That's nice."

"Yeah. I just really, really miss him. I wanted to visit him for part of the summer, but I didn't have enough money to buy a ticket."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. I guess I'll just have to keep saving up my money until I can—"

"Skye!"

Turning around, Skye gasps when she sees who is standing a few feet in front of her.

"Grant..." she breathes out and then starts running towards him.

When she reaches him, she leaps up into his open arms, wrapping her arms around his neck. Grant wraps his arms around Skye's waist, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"What are you doing here?" she asks him with a smile when he sets her back down.

"I'm going to be attending college in America."

Skye's eyes go wide, "What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you," he smiles.

"Well I'm definitely surprised. What school are you going to?"

"The University of California, Los Angeles."

"What? That's where I'm going."

"I know," he smiles.

"Are you going there because I'm going there?"

He shrugs, "Possibly. But also, it's a pretty great school. You're a bonus."

Skye smiles, "So you're really coming to school in America?"

He nods his head, "Yeah."

"But what about the cafe? Isn't it kind of like a family business?"

He nods his head again, "It is. But I'm just going to get my business degree so I'll be able to run the cafe better one day."

"That's so great," Skye smiles.

"Yes, it is."

"Hey Grant?" she speaks up.

"Yes?"

She smiles, "Sono sempre con te."

"Sono sempre con te," he smiles back, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. **

**Here's the translations of the Italian things that were said:**

_I know I know. You do not have to tell me twice, Mom  
__Well, then go do it  
__She always is  
__I am always with you_

**Also, I'm thinking about doing a Christmas Q&amp;A of sorts for everyone I know online to get to know me a bit better. I'll probably be uploading a video on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. But it all depends on how many questions I get sent in. So, if there's ever anything you've been dying to know about me or my stories, drop it in a review or my Inbox. And put "Christmas Q&amp;A" in it somewhere so I know what it's for.  
****And I might try and get my family involved if they are willing to do so. :)  
****I'll be accepting questions until the 19th of this month. Thanks! :) **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	23. Snow War

**Hey babes! It's been forever since I've update this series, but I've got some time here at work and so I thought I'd post something for you. The prompt I found for this one is: **_It started to snow and I'm the only one of our friends who would go outside with you – I soon found out why none of the others would go out in the snow with you when you shoved a handful of snow down my back and declared snow war. _

**This one is pretty short but still pretty cute, I think.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Wow," Skye breathes out as she steps out of the car and shuts the door behind her. "You weren't kidding about this place, Grant," she looks over at the teenage boy standing on the other side of the car and smiles. "It's a really nice cabin."

Grant smiles, "Thanks."

"Damn, Grant," Bobbi says as she climbs out of her car, "this place looks really cool."

"I am so ready to party," Bobbi's boyfriend, Lance, speaks up, climbing out of the car with a wide smile.

"Calm down," Bobbi tells him.

Lance sighs, "There you go again. You always have to put a damper on my good times."

"No, I'm just trying to keep you from doing something stupid and hurt yourself. Like you always end up doing."

"Can you guys not fight right now?" Kara asks, stepping out of her car. "Or _at all_ for the duration of the trip, for that matter."

"Seriously, though," Lincoln speaks up, stepping out the passenger side of Kara's car and looking at Lance and Bobbi, "No fighting between you two. At all. We are all here to have a good time. And get to know our dear friend Grant a little better."

"Well then let's all go inside," Lance says eagerly, stepping towards the cabin.

"Hang on," Grant speaks up, "a couple of things before you guys go inside. No going inside the master bedroom upstairs, that's my parents' room. If you make a mess of any kind anywhere in the house, please clean up after yourself, my parents will not be happy if this place is left a disaster. It's a miracle they're even letting us come up here unsupervised. So please, just use some common sense and don't destroy the cabin."

"We promise not to cause any damage," Bobbi tells Grant. "Now can we go inside? It's getting colder out here by the minute."

Grant nods his head, "Yeah, we can. Come on," he gestures to the house with his head. He leans back into his car and grabs his bag out of it, swinging it up onto his shoulder. He holds his key ring in his hand, making his way through the snow and up to the front of the log cabin, everyone else following close behind him with their own bags.

* * *

"Guys, look," Kara speaks up as everyone sits in the living room around the fireplace, "it's snowing outside."

"I love the snow," Bobbi smiles. "Despite how cold it can be, I really do love the wintertime and the snow."

"Me too," Grant says. "That's one of the reasons why I like coming up here so much. I was a little disappointed when my parents said we wouldn't be taking our annual trip up here."

"And that's what you have friends for," Lincoln smiles over at him.

Grant smiles back, "Yeah. Thanks for agreeing to come up here with me, guys. It's really cool of you."

"No problem, mate," Lance smiles. "A free trip up to a cabin? We'd be stupid to pass this chance up."

"Guys!" Skye shouts as she enters the room, now dressed in snow clothes; a heavy jacket, a pair of boots, a scarf, gloves, and a beanie on her head. "Did you see that it's snowing outside? Who wants to go out in the snow with me?" she asks eagerly, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

Everyone in the room stays silent.

Skye frowns, "Come on, guys. Being out in the snow is way more fun if someone is out there with you."

"I'll go outside with you," Grant speaks up from his spot.

Skye beams, "You will?"

He nods his head, "Yeah. I love playing out in the snow. It's one of the reasons I love coming up here so much."

"Awesome!" she smiles at him. "Go get dressed for being out in the snow and then come outside. I'll be waiting for you."

"Will do," he smiles and nods.

Skye looks at her friends, "See, you guys. Grant knows a good time when he hears it." She turns and makes her way to the door, stepping out into the snow.

"I guess I should probably go get changed," Grant says, standing up from the chair.

"Good luck, man," Lincoln says to him.

Grant furrows his brows, "What?"

Lincoln shakes his head, "Nevermind. You'll figure it out soon enough."

"Okay," Grant says slowly. He turns and makes his way out of the room.

"That boy is in for a very rude awakening," Bobbi comments.

"Bless his poor heart," Kara shakes her head.

* * *

"Alright, time for some snow," Grant says to no one in particular as he steps out onto the porch, shutting the door tightly behind him. He's wearing a heavy coat, a scarf, gloves, and a knitted hat to keep himself warm.

"Skye?" he calls out into the night as he steps down off of the porch, the snow crunching under the soles of his shoes as he walks around. "Skye, where are you? You better not have gone too far, because the woods are really big, cell reception isn't the best, and it's getting dark. I really don't want to have to—" he's cut off when he feels something ice cold sliding down his back. "What the...?" he whips around to see Skye standing in front of him with a grin on her face and her hands behind her back, trying her best to stifle a laugh. "Did you just shove ice down the back of my jacket?" he asks her.

She bites her lip and nods her head in the affirmative.

He sighs, "Now I see why no one wanted to come outside with you."

"That's not the only reason why," she tells him with a small smirk.

"And what would that other reason be, exactly?" he asks.

"Snow War!" she shouts, moving her hands out from behind her back to pelt him in the face with multiple snowballs.

Grant sputters and shakes his head, using his hands to remove the snow from his face. He looks at Skye, neither of them moving a muscle. Then he grows a smirk on his face, "Oh, it's so on." Faster than Skye can register, he bends down and grabs a handful of snow, packing it together and throwing it at her, hitting her in the stomach.

"How are you so fast at that?" she questions in disbelief with wide eyes.

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier? My family has been coming up here every winter since my older brother was a baby. Me, him, and my younger brother always had a snowball fight. I learned some pretty great tactics over the years."

"You definitely have to teach me some of your tactics," she tells him.

"Well then our Snow War won't be as much fun," he says with a small smile.

Skye beams, "Oh you are so going down."

"I'd like to see you try."

* * *

"Wow," Kara says from her place watching out the window in the living room, "he's actually indulging her in Snow War."

"Brave man," Bobbi says, moving to stand next to Kara at the window.

They both watch as Grant and Skye race around the yard, pelting each other relentlessly with snowballs.

"How long do you think it'll take for them to get together?" Bobbi asks.

Kara tilts her head in thought, "A year, maybe?"

Bobbi furrows her brows, "You think so?"

They watch as Grant sneaks up behind Skye and wraps his arms around her middle, lifting her up into the air. They see Skye let out a laugh as Grant spins her around before tossing her down into the snow.

"Maybe sooner," Kara says.

They both watch as Skye reaches out and uses all of her strength to tug Grant down into the snow next to her, both of them laughing together as they lie in the snow.

"Definitely sooner," Bobbi smiles.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	24. Let the World Disappear

**Hey babes! Here's a new one for ya. The prompt I found for this one is: **_"__Slow dancing to a song and Person A is singing words into Person B ear. But it's during the apocalypse and they both know they're going to die"_. **This one didn't really take too long to write because I immediately knew where I wanted it to go. **

**The title comes from Rachel Platten's song _Astronauts_, which is used in this story. I love that song a lot and I knew I wanted to use it here once I started writing this one.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

The muted creaking of the rusted door hinges alerts Skye to the presence of another person entering the run down house.

"I think it's gotten worse out there since the last time I snuck out," Grant tells his girlfriend as he enters the room. He removes his filtration mask and hangs it on the hook by the door. "Even the filtration masks don't seem to be enough protection anymore."

"That's why I hardly go outside anymore," Skye says as she stands in front of the poorly patched up window on the other side of the room, watching her city burn all around her. "I think this is the longest one we've ever had." She turns away from the window and walks over to the ratty old couch, sitting down on it. She lets out a cough and lays her head back, closing her eyes for a moment, "I'm so sick of all these raids. And I'm sick of the poor air quality around here. It's getting harder and harder to breath by the day. Sometimes my lungs feel like they're on fire."

He nods his head, "I know, but we just have to—"

"Have to what, Grant?" Skye sits up and looks over at her boyfriend. "What can we possibly do that we haven't already been doing for the last eight months during this damn apocalypse?"

"Have faith," he says quietly, looking at her straight. "And hope. And keep fighting."

"What for?" she scoffs, tossing her hands into the air. "Our families are either dead or in hiding, our friends all left within two months after everything started, we can't even step out the front door without risking being shot because you had to be a part of the damn Resistance, and if we don't die from getting shot we'll definitely die from some random disease that pops up. So tell me what on earth is so damn important to have faith and hope and to keep fighting?"

"Us," he says seriously. He moves over to the couch to sit down next to her. "You and me," he gestures between the two of them, grabbing one of her thin hands in both of his. "We're still here, together. All hell is breaking loose outside and we've stuck together through all of it."

She nods her head, "I know. I'm just…tired," she looks up at him with eyes full of pain, sadness, worry, and exhaustion. "I'm tired of all of this. I just wish it would stop," she tells him with tears brimming her eyes.

He sighs, shifting on the couch to wrap his arm around her shoulders, letting her lean into him. "I'm tired too," he tells her.

A large explosion outside their home makes them both jump in their seats.

Skye curls further into Grant's side, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face in his chest. "I just want this to stop. But there's nothing we can do."

Grant presses a comforting kiss to the top of her head, hugging her tightly to him.

After a minute, he disentangles himself from her and stands up from the couch. He looks down at her and holds his hand out, giving her a small smile, "Dance with me."

She furrows her brows, "What?"

"Dance with me," he repeats.

"We're in the middle of the freaking _apocalypse_ and you want to dance? Are you serious right now?"

He nods his head, "Yeah, I am."

"In case you haven't noticed, there's no music," she reminds him, gesturing to the emptiness of the room, save for the few pieces of worn out furniture.

He shrugs, "There's always a song in your head and in your heart. You told me that, remember?"

She nods with a small smile, "Yeah. I said that when we were young and stupid and thought the world would go on forever."

He chuckles lightly, "It was only five years ago when you told me that. And I've never forgotten it. Now get up here and dance with me."

"I don't think my legs are going to let me stay up for too long," she tells him.

"I'll hold you."

"You aren't going to let up on this, are you?" she asks him.

He shakes his head, "Mm-mm."

She sighs, "Fine." She stands up from the couch and takes his hand in hers, linking their fingers together.

Grant pulls her close, wrapping one arm around her waist while she rests her other up on his shoulder. The two begin to slowly sway back and forth in the middle of the run down living room.

"We haven't danced like this in a long time," Grant says after a few moments.

"Technically we're just swaying," Skye tells him with a small smile. "But I know what you mean. The last time we danced like this was the Senior Prom; the night we finally got together." She lets go of his hand and wraps her arms around his neck.

He smiles back down at her, wrapping his arms around her waist to help hold her up, "Best night of my entire life. But I'm hoping to make this night even better than that one."

"And how are you hoping to do that when the world's literally on fire?"

"Marry me."

Skye's breath hitches, "What?"

"Marry me," he repeats.

"Are you crazy?" she asks him.

He shrugs, "I might be. But what isn't crazy is how I feel about you. I want to marry you. I want to stay right here with you and pretend the world outside doesn't exist."

"I want that too," Skye smiles up at him.

"So is that a yes?" Grant asks her.

She nods her head, "It's a yes."

With a grin on his face, he leans down to softly press his lips against hers.

When they pull apart, Skye moves her arms from around Grant's neck to wrap them around his torso, stepping forward to hug him.

"When do you want to get married?" Grant says into Skye's ear.

She leans back slightly to look up at him, "What?"

"Our wedding," he says again. "When and where?"

"Grant, I don't…"

"Come on, Skye," he gives her a small smile. "Just think about it. When do you want to get married?"

Skye bites her bottom lip between her teeth in thought. "Um, well I've always liked the idea of having a spring wedding," she admits.

"Spring is nice," he says.

She nods slowly, "Yeah. I think we should get married next spring."

"We can definitely do that," he smiles. "What about the where?"

"Hmm," Skye thinks for a moment longer, resting her head back on Grant's chest as they continue to sway to the music in their heads. "Do you remember the field where we met?"

"I think so," he says, a hint of a smile on his face. "But you should probably refresh my memory."

"It's the one right across from the mini mart," she reminds him. "We used to go there after school and hang out."

He slowly nods his head, "I think I'm starting to remember."

"And we'd always make sure to have a couple of dollars on us in case the ice cream truck ever drove by."

"You never had enough," he says.

"But you always had an extra dollar for me," she smiles. "I think we should get married there in the spring. It'll be so beautiful."

Another explosion goes off, making Skye jump again. Grant tightens his hold on her, pressing a lingering and comforting kiss to her hair.

Holding her close, he dips his head down next to her ear and whispers, _"Let's meet up far away where astronauts and gravity have opened up the atmosphere, we'll be so safe up here. Navigating the space, we'll create our own star. And I'll name it after you."_

"Grant, what are you doing?" Skye asks him.

"Just giving you an idea of what our first dance will be like," he tells her. "You and me, holding each other close, swaying back and forth to the music while all of our family and friends watch on. You've always loved this song and I think it's the perfect song to have our first dance to."

Skye smiles as she closes her eyes, "Yeah, it is. And I can see it, it's beautiful. My dad's crying while you and I dance."

"I'm sure he is," Grant smiles. "What else can you see?"

"Everyone we love is there. And they're all really happy for us."

"Because they're all glad that we're finally doing this."

Another explosion goes off, larger and closer than the last.

Skye holds as tight as she can to Grant as another harsh cough racks her body, bringing to tears to her eyes.

"Keep singing to me," Skye says quietly.

"Whatever you want," he smiles. "You just close your eyes, relax, and think about that wedding we're going to have next spring."

Skye nods her head against him, closing her eyes as another explosion rings out and she coughs again.

Grant tightens his hold and lifts her up slightly to set her feet on top of his. He holds her close, resting the side of his head against hers. He closes his eyes and continues to softly sing to her, _"We'll be so calm up there, we'll fly around with the quiet air. The sun will bring us 'round again, inhaling and orbiting. Our great planet will fit on the tip of your thumb. You'll say I finally see how time stops and everything that hurts us drops off."_

As he sings, explosion after explosion rings out around their house, making them both jump and hold each other closer.

_"I'll be what you want, when everything is gone. Let the world disappear, there are places up here we can hide. We'll be safe way up high, somewhere only we can find."_

A crash sounds out as a nearby explosion busts out their already broken window, letting the harsh air flood into their home.

"Keep singing," Skye tells him as she coughs. "It's so wonderful right now." She swallows thickly, "My parents are dancing right next to us, and Fitz and Jemma, even though they still say that they're just friends."

"I'm sure it's all as wonderful as you say it is," he tells her, tears coming to his eyes from the stinging of the air entering their home. He lets out a cough.

"Are you okay?" she asks him and then coughs.

He nods his head, not wanting to worry her, "I'm fine, I promise." He rests his head closer against hers, letting his lips linger by her ear, _"And no one's safe from being called out or evaluated. And people change on a whim, so cue the violence. Let's go rescue a planet who's been thrown away, you'll name it...__after me. Cause after all we're only...one triumphant bang away from...resting in infinity or darkness or some...brighter place. Let's not waste...one more second on caring about, trying to...figure out what looks right. Cause that can't take away that...you're mine."_

As he quietly sings, he feels her body slowly go limp in his arms. When he reaches the end of the verse, he drops a kiss to the top of her head, his eyes shut tight to stop the tears threatening to break through.

Using what little strength he has left, he lifts her body into his arms bridal style and carries her over to the ratty couch. Sitting down on it, he lies back and shifts until he's comfortable, stretched out on the couch. Then he positions her small body so it's lying next to him and tucked into his own body, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Just keep dreaming of our wedding, Skye," he says with closed eyes, his face buried in her hair. "It's going to be amazing." He lets out a rough cough and then swallows thickly. He opens his mouth to sing again, _"Now I'll be what you want, when everything...is gone. Let the world...disappear, there are places...up here...we can hide. We'll be safe...way up high, somewhere...only we...can find. I'll be what...you want, when everything...is gone. Let the world...disappear, there are...places up here...we can hide. We'll be safe...way up high, somewhere only we...can find."_

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below.**

**Hope you all caught on to what happened at the end there. Not sure how clear it was, but I wanted to end it there and not have anything else trying to explain. So I hope you all understood.**

**Also, working on a special appreciation type of project for Brett. If any of you are interested in what it entails, just let me know. I'd be happy to explain it to you.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	25. Medication and Confusion

**Hey babes! Been a while since I've updated this little series. I've been focusing my attention on some other stories of mine and I'm in my last quarter of my first year of college and trying to not fall behind. However, a recent conversation I had with a friend on Tumblr inspired me to write this.**

**Hope you like it. :)**

* * *

"How long has he been out?"

"A few hours now," Simmons replies, checking a few of the different monitors surrounding Ward. "He's on some very powerful pain medication so I'm not sure when he'll wake up."

Skye nods, "Okay. Thanks."

"Do you want me to give you two some time alone?" Simmons asks her.

Skye gives her a small smile, "If you don't mind."

Simmons smiles and shakes her head, "Not at all. I'll be right outside if you need me for anything."

"Thanks," Skye smiles at the scientist as she walks out the door of the med wing.

Skye takes a deep breath before turning around to face the hospital bed. She moves towards the bed, pulling a chair up next to it and sitting down. She leans back in the seat and stares at Ward's body.

"I hate you," she speaks up after a quiet moment. "You just had to jump in front of that bullet to save me like a damn superhero, didn't you? You may have powers now but that doesn't mean you're freaking invincible, okay? You still have to try and keep yourself from dying when we're out on missions." She leans forward in the seat and grabs his hand in hers, "Think you can do that for me, Tin Man? Think you can keep yourself from dying?"

Ward shifts in the bed and Skye sits up instantly.

"Grant?" she says. She turns towards the door, "Simmons! I think he's waking up." She turns back to the bed, "Grant? Babe, can you hear me?"

She watches as Ward's head turns, his eyes scrunching slightly. Then he opens his eyes and looks at her.

She gives him a small smile, "Hey, Grant."

"Wow."

"Wow what?" Skye asks him.

"You're really pretty."

Skye feels a blush slowly creep up her cheeks and ducks her head.

"What am I doing in here?"

She looks back up to see him looking around the room.

"You got shot," she tells him.

He looks back at her with wide eyes, "I got shot?" He lets out a quiet gasp, "Am I dead? Is that why you're here because I'm in heaven and you're an angel?"

Skye laughs quietly and shakes her head, "No, you aren't dead and I'm not an angel."

"Oh," he says. He nods his head, "Okay. I'm not dead."

"No, you aren't."

"Well then where am I if I'm not dead? Why am I in here?"

"You are in here because you need to rest up after being shot."

Skye turns her head to see Simmons entering the room. "Hey."

"How is he?" Simmons asks.

"He's acting kind of weird," Skye tells her.

"That's probably the medication he's on. Like I said, it's some very powerful stuff we used with him because his metabolism just eats through everything else so quickly."

"Did you say I got shot?"

Skye and Simmons turn their attention back to Ward.

"Yes I did," Simmons nods. "The bullet went pretty deep but was able to be removed during surgery."

"I can't feel my body," Ward says, slight panic on his face. "Am I paralyzed?"

"No, you aren't paralyzed," Skye tells him. "You're just on some very powerful pain meds right now."

"So I can still walk?" he asks her.

She smiles and nods, "Yeah, babe, you can still walk."

"Wow," he breathes out, "that's so great." He looks at Skye, "You're really pretty."

Skye lets out a quiet laugh, "I know. You told me that already."

"No, but I mean, really, really pretty. Like, prettier than anything else in this whole entire world." He looks at Simmons, "Do you see how pretty she is? She's so pretty."

Skye just ducks her head and blushes while Simmons stands quietly, not exactly sure how to respond.

After a few minutes of silence Ward yanks the IV out of his arm, throws the blanket off of his body, and stands up the bed.

"Grant!" Skye exclaims. "What the hell are you doing? Get back in bed."

He shakes his head, "I don't want to."

"Well I don't care what you want. Get back in the damn bed."

He crosses his arms and gets a pout on his face that reminds Skye of a small child who was told that he can't have his way.

"Grant, " Skye starts, "please get back in bed."

"I said I don't want to," he says, uncrossing his arms quickly and thrusting his fists down. His eyes go wide when he sees the hot flames dancing around his closed fists. He looks up at Skye, a smile of childlike wonderment on his face, "Do you see this?"

Skye smiles and nods, "Yeah, I do. You have powers, Grant."

"I do?"

She nods again, "Yeah."

"So cool," he says, moving one of his flaming hands around in front of his face. He stares at it for a minute before a firey chain starts to grow within his closed fist. He gets a small smile on his face, "This is so awesome. I have powers."

He turns towards the other end of the room and whips the chain out, sparks flying out of the end of it when it snaps. He whirls around to look at Skye with a wide smile on his face, "Did you see how cool that was? You had to have seen that." He lifts his other hand up, palm open and facing up, slowly creating a type of fireball in the center of his palm. He grins and then looks up at any empty wall, quickly thrusting his hand out and sending the fireball at the wall, scorching the pure white color.  
He turns back to Skye, "I'm positive you saw it that time. I know you did. You can't say you didn't."

"I did see it," Skye tells him. "Now get back in bed. You need to rest."

"I can do more," he tells her, turning back to the wall and sending a few more fireballs at it.

She nods her head, "I know you can, Grant. Now please get back in the bed," she steps towards him.

"Did you see how cool that was?" he asks, allowing her to lead him back towards the hospital bed.

"It was very cool," she nods.

"Go on a date with me and we can find out what other cool stuff I can do with my powers," he says, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking up at her.

"What?" she asks.

"Go on a date with me," he repeats. "Date me, love me, be my girlfriend," he smiles.

"I'm not going to be your girlfriend, Grant," she tells him, trying to stifle the smile that wants to grow on her face.

Grant's face falls, "What? Why not? Didn't you see what I could do?" he points towards the wall. "Why don't you want to date someone who can do that? It's so cool."

"Yes it is," she nods. "But I'm not going to agree to being you girlfriend because I'm already your wife."

Grant's eyes flick back and forth between Skye's face and her left hand that she's holding up to show him the gold band wrapped around her fourth finger. His eyes go wide, "We're married?"

Skye smiles and nods, dropping her hand, "Mm-hmm. For about four months now."

He grins, "Wow. I'm so lucky. I have such a hot wife."

Skye fights the blush threatening to creep up her cheeks.

"You know who's really hot?" he asks her, leaning forward slightly.

"Who?" she asks.

"Me," he says. "Because I can do this," he raises one flame engulfed fist into the air. "I'm all fire. I'm really hot."

"Yes you are," Skye nods, gently pushing on his shoulders to make him lie down.

"You think I'm hot," he gives her a playful smirk. "Does that mean you'll go out with me?"

Skye sighs and shakes her head with a small smile as she pulls the covers back over him, "Oh Grant. If you don't think I'm not going to use this against you later then you are very much mistaken."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Working on a special project for Brett and Chloe is any of you out there are fans of theirs. Let me know if you're interested. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	26. One Night's All It Takes

**Hey babes! I think it's been a while since I've updated this collection, but I've been busy with other stories and school. But I've got another one for ya. I've had this one written up for a while, but it wasn't exactly how I wanted it. But now it is. And because of recent things that have happened with AoS, I feel like updating this collection again. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"So, who's the hot date with tonight?"

"What makes you think I have a hot date?" Skye asks her roommate, leaning one hand against the wall to help keep her balance as she slips her heels on.

"Because you look super hot right now."

Skye smiles, "Thanks, Bobbi."

"Anytime," Bobbi smiles back. "But seriously, who are you going out with?"

"No one."

Bobbi furrows her brows, "Then why are you all dressed up?"

"Because I'm going out to a club with some of my friends from work to blow off some steam."

"And you didn't think to invite me? How rude."

"Well I would have invited you, but you don't work there and you're probably having Lance come over tonight so the two of you can do whatever it is you do when I'm not here that I really don't want to know about."

Bobbi nods her head, "True, true. I guess it's a good thing you didn't invite me."

"Yes it is," Skye replies as she turns towards the mirror in the hallway to check her hair and makeup. "What do you think?" she turns back to face Bobbi.

Bobbi looks at her for a moment before scrunching up her nose, "I've seen better."

Skye rolls her eyes, "You are so annoying."

"But you love me."

Skye scoffs playfully, "That's debatable." She grabs her small purse off of the counter, slipping the long strap over her shoulder. She checks her appearance in the hallway mirror one last time before turning towards the door. "I don't know when I'll be back, hopefully not too late."

Bobbi nods her head, "Sure, whatever you say. Just know that I will not judge you if you don't come back until morning. Unless the guy isn't that good looking, then I will completely judge you."

Skye rolls her eyes as closes the door behind her, "Goodbye, Bobbi."

* * *

"Skye! Over here!"

Skye smiles as she walks over to the bar, greeting her friend in a hug, "Kara, hey."

"Hey," the other woman says when they pull from the hug. "I'm so glad you were able to come tonight."

"Me too," Skye breathes out. "I definitely need a break from real life for a few hours."

"I know what you mean," Kara replies, lifting her drink glass to her lips.

"Can I get a beer, please?" Skye asks the man behind the bar. He nods his head once. She turns back to Kara, "So, who's all here tonight?"

"Um, Tripp and Raina, the Koenig's, Jemma, and Fitz."

"Really? That's everyone who came?"

"Here's your drink," the bartender says, holding the beer out to Skye.

She takes it from him with a grateful smile, "Thanks." She turns back to Kara, "I thought more people were going to show up."

Kara shrugs, "Those are the only people I've seen so far. I know Mack has a prior event he has to be at, and obviously May and Coulson aren't going to come. I don't know if anyone else has shown up yet, though."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to go and party out on the dance floor, maybe meet a cute guy."

"Have fun."

"Oh I plan on it," Skye smiles as she steps away from the bar and towards the dance floor.

...

"I'm sorry for interrupting, but I think you need to explain something to me."

Skye looks up to see a tall, dark haired man standing in front of her. Even with the darkened lighting of the club, she can make out the sharp definitions of his cheekbones.

She smiles up at him, "You're not interrupting. What is it that you need me to explain?"

"Why a beautiful woman such as yourself is sitting here all alone."

"Who says I'm alone? Maybe I'm already here with someone."

He shakes his head and moves to sit in the chair next to her, "No. I know you're not here with someone, because if I was here with someone as pretty as you, I wouldn't leave her side for even a second."

"Kind of possessive, don't you think?"

He shrugs.

She chuckles quietly, looking down. "So what about you?" she looks up at him. "Are you here by yourself?"

"I might be," he replies.

"So then why aren't you out there trying to find some naive girl to pick up?"

"I must admit that I'm a little hurt you think so little of me after just barely having met me."

"Well, I know men like you. I've _dated _men like you."

"You barely even know me."

"I don't have to."

"So you just throw all men you barely know into the same category?"

She nods her head, "Pretty much."

"Don't you think that's being a little harsh?"

She shrugs, "Most guys are jerks. So I usually try and steer clear of guys I meet in sleazy clubs."

"Uh-huh," he nods his head.

"I do," she insists. "Why on earth would I go somewhere with a random guy I meet in a club?"

He shrugs, "Maybe if you really think you feel something for that person."

"Mm-hmm. And are you this person you think I might feel something for?" she quirks an eyebrow.

He slowly leans forward, "It's possible."

"You're so confident, aren't you?"

He nods his head, "Yeah, kind of." He reaches forward and grabs the back of Skye's head, pressing his lips tightly to hers.

Skye freezes for a moment, not sure how to react. Then she quickly pulls away, staring at him.

"I'm Grant, by the way," he smiles at her.

"Skye," she says back. There's a pause, and then Skye propels herself forward, capturing his lips in hers. She stands up from her chair and moves towards him, straddling his lap.

Grant trails his hand down from her head and down over her shirt, resting it on the small of her back. His other hand moves up and rests there as well.

Skye tangles her hands in his short hair, opening her mouth to deepen the kiss.

Grant slowly inches his fingers underneath the hem of her shirt, trailing them up the smooth skin of her back. When he reaches her bra, he begins fiddling with the strap.

Skye pulls away and looks at him. "Not here," she says out of breath.

"Your place or mine?" he asks her.

"Yours would be better. My roommate probably has her boyfriend over."

"Good thinking," he says. "Follow me," he allows her to slide off of his lap and then he stands up as well. He reaches out for her hand and she takes it, allowing him to lead her out of the club and to the parking lot.

...

Stepping in the through the front door of Grant's apartment, Skye doesn't wait another beat before attacking his lips with her own. Grant kisses her back with just as much excitement, shoving her back against the door to close it.

Skye smiles into the kiss and pushes herself against his body, the smile turning into a smirk as he groans. She runs her hands up into his hair, tugging firmly on it, eliciting another groan from him.

Pulling away from his mouth, Skye leaves a trail of open mouthed kisses down the column of his throat.

Grant closes his eyes and tilts his head back, giving her more access. "That feels great," he tells her as she kisses back up his neck. She smiles against his skin. Placing another kiss to his jaw, she captures his lips again, tugging his bottom lip between her teeth.

Sliding his hands down her back and over her bottom, Grant grabs her thighs in his hands, squeezing tightly. Skye jumps up slightly, letting Grant help her, and wraps her legs around his waist, locking her ankles together behind his back.

Grinding her hips down on Grant's, Skye smiles at the groan and moan combination he lets out. "Bedroom," she says against his lips.

Quicker than she can register, Grant places his lips on hers again and then turns around, carrying her off towards his bedroom.

...

Skye keeps her eyes closed as she shifts on the bed, wincing slightly when Grant's arm tightens around her waist.

Sucking in a deep breath, she grabs his wrist and lifts his arm off of her body, slowly sliding off of the bed and setting her feet on the hardwood floor.

Looking around the room, she begins gathering up all of her clothes, pulling her pants and shirt back on. Holding her shoes and purse in her hands, she looks behind her to make sure Grant is still asleep. Letting out a deep sigh, she quietly makes her way from the bedroom and back out into the main part of his apartment.

"Grant, you're out of peanut butter again. I told you, you need to—you're not Grant."

Skye freezes in her tracks. "No, I'm not," she brushes some of her hair out of her face. "I uh, I didn't realize anyone else was going to be here."

"Neither did I."

"Okay, well, uh, I'm just going to go now." She quickly moves past him and out the door of the apartment.

"Kebo?"

The man in question turns around to see Grant standing in the doorway to his bedroom, a pair of shorts hanging off his hips.

"Hey, mate," Kebo says. "You're out of peanut butter again."

Grant takes a moment to look around the area before looking back at Kebo with furrowed brows, "Um, what are you doing in my apartment?"

"What? I need reason to come visit a friend?"

"And are you really eating my food again? You have food at your place, don't you?" he moves into the living room to turn on the news, starting up the coffee maker on his way.

"Your food is better," Kebo says simply.

Grant sighs, "Alright, whatever. Just don't break anything." He falls down onto the couch, running a hand down his face.

"When have I ever?"

"Oh I have so many answers to that question."

"Right, well. There's something else I'd like an answer to."

"What is it?"

"Who is that girl who just ran out of here?"

Grant stills for a moment and then looks over the back of the couch, "Please tell me you didn't talk to her."

"Barely. She ran out of here before I could start a conversation." He leans back against the counter, "Where did you find her, anyways?"

"At a club," Grant replies. "Things got kind of…heated when we met, so we came back here."

"A one night stand," Kebo grins. "Way to go, Grant. It's about time."

"Shut up, Kebo," Grant turns back towards the television.

"I'm just congratulating you on finding such a nice specimen."

"Can you please stop talking about women like that?"

Kebo holds his hands up in defense, "Alright, alright. Sorry." There's a pause. "She was pretty wild, though, right?"

"Kebo!"

* * *

"Crap," Skye mutters under her breath as she stares down at the positive pregnancy test in her hand.

A pounding on the bathroom door pulls her attention away from the stick. "Skye, are you done yet?"

"Just a minute," she calls back. Turning away from the counter, she wraps the test in toilet paper and then shoves it to the bottom of the trash can.

Stepping over to the door, she pulls it open and sees Bobbi standing on the other side. "Learn to be patient," she says to her roommate as she walks past her.

"Wow, what's got you so irritated today?" Bobbi follows Skye through the apartment.

Skye sighs, "Nothing, sorry. I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Alright. Just don't snap at me the next time you're tired."

"I won't. I'm sorry."

"Thanks. Now, don't you have to get to work?"

Skye sighs again, "Yeah, I do."

"Sounds like you don't want to go," Bobbi says, leaning back against the wall.

"No, it's not that." She walks to the closet and slips on her shoes, "I just, uh, I found something out and it's kind of…big. So I'm still reeling from that." She grabs her laptop bag and purse off of the couch, slinging them both over her shoulder.

"What did you find out?"

"I'll tell you later, okay?" She grabs her keys off of the hook. "I really have to get to work so I'm not late."

"Okay, see you later."

"Yeah, bye," she pulls the door open and steps out, pulling it shut tightly behind her.

* * *

"Good morning, Skye."

"Hey Billy," Skye smiles at the man as she walks towards the reception desk. "How are you?" She holds her ID badge out to him.

"Good, good," he takes her badge and holds it under the scanner. "There's a new guy in the department next to yours."

"Thanks for the heads up," she smiles kindly at him.

"You're welcome. Here's your badge back," he hands the badge back to her. "Enjoy your day."

"Thanks," she gives him a smile before making her way past the desk and towards the elevator.

...

"Hi," Skye hears someone say from behind her. "I don't think we've officially met yet. I'm new here, just got hired on. This is my first day. My name's Grant."

"Hey," she says as she turns around to face him. "I'm—"

"Skye?" he cuts her off, his eyes going wide.

"Grant?" she replies. He nods his head. "Wow, this is just perfect," she mutters under her breath.

"You work here?" Grant asks her.

She nods her head, "I have for the last five years. Been the head of my department for the last three."

"Wow. This is…"

"Completely ridiculous."

"Why do you say that?" he furrows his brows.

"We slept together, Grant," she whispers through her teeth. "And now we work together. Not exactly the most ideal situation."

"I know that. But it's been a month since that happened. It doesn't mean things have to be weird between us."

"Oh, we are _way_ beyond weird at this point, believe me."

"What?"

She sighs, "Come with me." She grabs his wrist and pulls him from the break room and into one of the back stairwells.

Closing the door and making sure no one is nearby, she turns around to face him.

"Okay, do you want to explain to me why you just dragged me into a dark stairwell?" Grant asks her.

Skye takes a deep breath, "I have to tell you something. And it's kind of life altering."

"What is it?"

"I'm uh, well, I'm pregnant. And it's your baby."

Grant freezes and his jaw drops slightly. After a moment, he pulls himself together, "Are you...are you sure it's mine?"

She nods her head, "Yeah, I'm sure. I haven't been with anyone else since that night."

"Okay, um, what are you going to do?"

She shakes her head, "I don't know. I just found out this morning."

"Hell of a way to start a Monday, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that."

"Um, am I, am I allowed to be involved? If you decide to keep it."

"Do you want to be involved?" she asks him.

He shrugs and nods his head, "I'd like to be, yeah. I've always thought about having kids one day."

"Okay, well uh, I think I'm going to keep it."

"You are? You don't want to think it over more?"

She shakes her head, "No. Not really. I mean, I've always thought about having kids, too. This isn't exactly how I imagined it happening, but it's happened. And I don't think I could, uh, get rid of it. I wouldn't feel right about it."

"What about adoption?" he suggests. "In case you don't actually want to keep it."

She shakes her head, "No, I want to keep it. I'd probably drive myself crazy everyday knowing my kid is out there somewhere being raised by someone else."

"So you're really going through with this?"

She nods her head, "Yep. And I guess I should probably schedule a doctor's appointment to check on the baby."

"Yeah. You should do that. And hey, um, can I…can I come with you? To the appointment?"

She just looks at him, "You really want to?"

He takes a small step towards her, "I really want to. I told you, Skye, I want to be involved. Whatever that means, I want to be there. For all of it."

"Okay, um, I guess I should probably give you my number then, so I can text you, or call you."

"Right. Um, here's my phone." He reaches into his front pants pocket and pulls out his cell phone, handing it over to her.

She takes it from him and goes into his contact list. She quickly inputs her phone number and then hands it back over to him.

"Now here's mine," she pulls her phone out of her back pocket and hands it to him, making sure to unlock it first.

Grant takes her phone and happily inputs his phone number and then hands it back to Skye.

"Thanks," Skye says to him, slipping the phone back into her back pocket. "So, uh, I'll text you the date and time for the appointment."

"Cool."

She gives him a small smile, "See you soon, Grant."

"Yeah, see ya."

* * *

"Hey Skye, who's Grant?" Bobbi calls through the apartment. "And why is he sending you multiple texts with random information about fetuses?"

"Is he seriously doing that again?" Skye asks herself as she enters the living room.

"_Again_?" Bobbi raises an eyebrow. "So he's done this before?"

"Um, yeah, he has."

"Why? Is it some weird thing he does? Send random women he meets information about fetuses?"

"No. He's only doing that because I'm pregnant. With his baby."

Bobbi's mouth drops open and she just stares at Skye. "Wait, you're pregnant?"

Skye nods her head, "Yeah."

"When did you find out?"

"Just a few days ago."

"Well why didn't you tell me?"

Skye shrugs, "I don't know. I guess I was just trying to figure out the right way to tell you."

"Okay. And how did you meet Grant?"

"Do you remember the night I went out to that party?"

"Yeah."

"Well, uh, I met him that night."

"How long have you two been seeing each other? And why didn't you tell me?"

"One-night stand," Skye clarifies. "I left his place early the next morning and didn't think I'd ever see him again. But as it turns out, we work together now. He just got hired on."

"Wow. So what are you guys now?"

"I don't know. I barely know the guy. The first time we met we had sex and I got pregnant. I never thought I'd see him again. Plus we work together now."

"Okay, but what do you want the two of you to be?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. We're just going to take each day as it comes, I guess. See what happens."

"Sounds like a plan. Also...I'm definitely going to be your kids' godmother, right?" Bobbi grins up at her.

Skye smiles, rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she picks up her phone and makes her way into her bedroom.

* * *

"Skye Conrad?"

"That's us," Skye smiles over at Grant. She stands up from her chair and walks towards the nurse, Grant following right behind her.

"How are you feeling today?" The young nurse asks Skye as they walk down the hallway.

"Okay. I'm a little nauseous sometimes, but that's to be expected, right?"

"Yes," the nurse smiles. She turns towards a door and pushes it open, "Here we are. The doctor will be right in with you."

"Thank you," Skye smiles.

The nurse leaves the room and shuts the door, leaving Grant and Skye to themselves. Skye moves towards the examination table in the room and lifts herself up onto it, sitting on the edge. She looks over to see Grant pacing the room, wringing his hands together.

"Why are you pacing?" she asks him.

He looks up at her, "I'm just a little nervous."

She raises an eyebrow, "You're nervous? I'm the one who has a person growing inside of me."

"Right, sorry. It's just, this is kind of exciting. We're gonna see our baby. For the first time."

Skye smiles, "Yeah, we are."

The two sit in a comfortable silence as they wait for the doctor to show up.

The door opening up draws their attention and they see the doctor entering, a smile on his face. "Hello, you must be the lucky couple," he says.

"Yep," Skye smiles, "that's us."

"I'm Doctor Porter, you must be Skye," he looks directly at her.

"That's me. And this is Grant," she gestures with her thumb towards him.

Doctor Porter looks over at him and smiles, "You're a very lucky man, Grant."

Grant smiles, "Trust me, I know."

"Okay Skye, how are you feeling today?" The doctor asks as he pulls his stool closer and sits down on it.

"Nauseous," she replies. "And more tired than I used to be."

"Well that's all perfectly normal," the doctor tells her with a small smile. "Any morning sickness besides just feeling nauseous?"

Skye shakes her head, "Not really. Should I be having morning sickness?"

The doctor shakes his head, "Not necessarily. Not all pregnancies are the same. Some women get very sick; others hardly feel nauseous at all."

Skye lets out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, "Okay. That's good to know."

"Now then, shall we take a look at this baby?"

"Yes please," Skye smiles.

"Alright, if you could scoot up a little further on the bed we can get started."

Skye scoots herself further up on the bed and Grant moves to stand next to her. She looks up at him and smiles, reaching out for his hand. He happily takes her hand in his, returning her smile.

"Okay, this is going to be a little cold," Doctor Porter informs Skye as he pulls out a tube of gel, lifting up the hem of her shirt.

Skye scrunches her nose up when the gel is squirted onto her stomach. "That's cold," she says.

The doctor chuckles, "Yes it is." He pulls out the wand and sets it in the gel, moving it around while he looks at the monitor next to him.

"Alright, I think we have something here," Doctor Porter says. He stops moving the wand and turns the screen so Skye and Grant can see it. "Mom, dad, meet your baby."

Grant and Skye both just stare at the screen, completely amazed by the image of their baby.

"That's our baby," Skye says with a happy smile.

"Yeah," Grant replies, a few tears in his eyes. "That's our baby."

"Can we get a couple printouts of this?" Skye asks the doctor.

"Of course. How many would you like?"

"Um," Skye thinks for a moment, "five, I think."

"Alright. I'll be right back in with those. You can go ahead and wipe the gel off while I get those printouts." He puts the wand away and moves the machine off to the side.

"Thank you," Skye says to the doctor as he walks out of the room. She turns her head to look at Grant, "It's really official," she says to him.

"What?"

"Us, this. We're having a baby. People say it doesn't really feel real until you see your baby in the ultrasound for the first time. Those people are definitely right."

He lets out a small laugh, "Yeah. And even though I saw it, I still can't believe it. It's amazing."

"Mm-hmm," Skye nods her head. "And uh, are you happy?"

"Very," he says back with a nod of his head. "I've been happy since the first moment you told me you were pregnant, even though I don't know you that well yet. I've always wanted to be a dad, and now I'm going to be one. I don't think I've ever been happier."

"Well I'm glad you feel that way," she smiles up at him. He smiles back. "Hey, will you hand me some of those tissues so I can wipe this gel off?"

"Yeah, sure." He steps over to the counter and grabs a few tissues out of the box, handing them over to her.

"Thanks," she takes the tissues from him and begins wiping the gel off of her skin.

"Skye?" Grant speaks up after Skye finishes wiping the gel off.

She looks up at him, "Yeah."

He rubs at the back of his neck nervously, "I was wondering, maybe, if you'd want to, uh, move in with me?"

She stares up at him, "Wait, what?"

"I mean, you really don't have to if you don't want to. I just, uh, I just thought it'd be nice if we were living in the same place, you know? That way I can be there if you need me for anything, because I want to experience all of this right along with you. I don't want to be 20 miles away if something happens and you need me right away."

"Wait, you're serious about this."

He nods his head, "Yeah. I mean, it'll make things a whole lot easier. I'm not saying we have to date or whatever, but uh, I just really want to be able to be a part of as much as I can during all of this."

She smiles softly, "You really want to do this?"

"I really want to do this."

* * *

"I still can't believe you're moving out," Bobbi says to Skye as she closes a cardboard box and starts to tape it up.

"Well I am," Skye replies as she pulls some things off of a shelf in her room and sets them into a box. "It's gonna be kind of weird not living together anymore."

"I know. We've been living together since our sophomore year of college. And now you're going off to live with your baby daddy while I'm going to be living alone."

"Can you please not call him that?" Skye asks as she gives Bobbi a pointed look. "And you're not going to be completely alone. We can still hang out like we used to, and you have Lance."

Bobbi scrunches up her nose, "Yeah, Lance."

"You can complain and joke around all you want," Skye says, "but I know that you care about him more than you let on."

"Whatever. We aren't talking about me. We're talking about you."

Skye rolls her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me," Bobbi says. "Also, why can't I call him your baby daddy? I thought that's what he is. And you aren't officially a couple or anything, so I figured it'd be the next best thing."

Skye sighs, "I don't know. I just, I've been meaning to talk to him about what he and I actually are to each other. But I keep chickening out every time I try to start that particular conversation."

"Then stop chickening out," Bobbi tells her. "Just walk up to him tonight, look him dead in the eyes, and say whatever it is you need to say to him. Don't let him get a word in until you're done."

"Is that how you do things with Lance?" Skye raises an eyebrow.

"You know, one day you're going to regret talking so much crap about me and Lance," Bobbi tells her as she closes another box and starts to tape it up.

"But today is not that day," Skye smiles at her as she stands up and leaves the room to check on Lance and Grant.

...

"I am so ridiculously exhausted," Skye tells Grant as she falls down onto the bed.

"Really?" Grant asks as he leans back against one of the bedroom walls. "Because as I recall, you barely moved anything up here. Lance, Bobbi, and I did all the heavy lifting. With the occasional help from Kebo when he wasn't being his usual annoying self."

She turns her head to look at him, "I'm pregnant. Therefore, I have an automatic pass for not lifting anything heavy."

"Oh, of course," he smiles.

"Now get over here and give me a foot rub," she wiggles her toes.

"So demanding," he smiles as he walks over and sits on the end of the bed, pulling her feet into his lap.

"Get used to it," she tells him. "This is how it's going to be for the rest of the pregnancy. And possibly after that as well."

Things are quiet between the two of them as Grant massages Skye's feet.

"Hey Grant?" Skye speaks up after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"Um, what are we now?"

He stops massaging her foot and looks over at her, "What do you want us to be?"

She shrugs, "I don't know. We're still getting to know each other, but now we're working together, living together, and having a baby. There's no real label for that."

"Then we won't put one on it," he suggests.

"What?"

"We'll take things slow. It's just like you said, we're still getting to know each other. Let's give it some time before we actually put a label to anything."

She smiles at him, "That's a great idea."

"I'm known to have them now and again," he smiles back. He takes a deep breath, "Alright, while you lie here, I am going to go use the bathroom." He pats her legs as he stands up from the bed and walks out of the bedroom to the bathroom.

Scooting up further on the bed so her head is on the pillows, Skye lets out a deep sigh. Looking down at her body, she uses the palms of her hands to smooth down her shirt, allowing the tiniest hint of a bump to show through. She closes her eyes as she rests her hands on her stomach, letting a small smile grace her lips.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**For those of you who are interested, I'm working on a very special project for Brett. I want to get as many people involved as possible, so if you're intrigued, let me know. I'd be happy to tell you more. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	27. Still Not Over You

**Hey babes! New little one-shot for ya. I found a new list of prompts online and this one basically jumped out at me. The prompt is: **_"I don't want to get over her, I want to be with her."_ **As soon as I saw it I knew what I wanted to write. **

**Basically, it's post season 3, Ward got saved from Hive somehow, and he and Lincoln never blew up in the ship in space. He's also back with SHIELD and it's a few months after he came back.**

**This isn't a super long one, but I think that's okay for this one. It works. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You need to get over her, Grant."

Grant lifts his head from his book to see Fitz standing in front of him. He furrows his brows, "What? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. I figured I'd approach you about it now before it can possibly get out of hand later. You can try and deny it all you want, but I see it on your face every time you see her around the base since you came back. Especially when she's with Lincoln. You need to get over her."

Grant sighs and runs a hand down his face, "I don't want to get over her, Fitz; I want to be with her. I've _always_ wanted to be with her."

"Yeah, I know. I'm pretty sure everyone else here knows it too."

"But obviously _she_ doesn't."

Fitz shakes his head, "No, I think she knows. It'd be practically impossible for her not to know. You always have that look on your face whenever she's around. I'm sure she's noticed it but just chooses not to say anything about it. I think that she thinks you'll get over her eventually if she never points it out or something."

"Well that's highly unlikely," Grant tells him. "She's on my mind all the time, Fitz. Everything is her. I just can't stop thinking about her and how I completely ruined everything that there possibly could have been between us."

Fitz nods, "Yeah, you did."

"Gee, thanks for that, Fitz."

"Hey, you're the one that said it, I was just agreeing with you. But I also think that you really aren't doing yourself any favors by being so hung up on her. Clearly she's moved on, or at the very least she's trying to. I know you may not want to hear it, Grant, but Lincoln's actually a nice guy and he makes her happy."

"I could make her happy too," Grant mumbles.

"Yeah, maybe you could. But I think if you just at least tried to move on then maybe seeing them together won't hurt as much and you can—"

"Coulson? Are you—oh, sorry guys. Am I interrupting something?"

Both men turn their heads to Skye standing in the doorway.

"I was just looking for Coulson; someone said they thought he was in here. I just need to ask him if Lincoln and I can take a few days off for a vacation next month."

"No, you're not interrupting anything here," Grant replies instantly with a hardened jaw. He shuts the book he'd been reading and stands abruptly from his seat. He looks at Fitz before he walks out of the room, a defeated look in his eyes. He lowers his voice, "I can't, Fitz. I've tried to, but I can't."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Also, working on a special project for Brett and I'd love for as many people as I can to participate. If you're intrigued, let me know. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	28. Here For You

**Hey babes! Got a new one here for ya. :) The prompt for this one was **"Does he know about the baby?". **I knew what I wanted to do as soon as I saw it. This one takes place sometime after **_Girl in the Flower Dress_.

**Guest: I know, I know. :) Probably won't do a follow up unless I get sparked with inspiration. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Burying her face in her hands, Skye's mind races through everything that she just found out in the last few hours. She can't believe that this is actually happening to her of all people. Why does this have to happen to her? And why now?

"Can I buy you a drink?"

She lifts her head to see Ward standing in front of her, a bottle and a couple of glasses in his hands.

She smiles at the gesture, "Thanks. But uh, I can't really be drinking alcohol in my current situation, you know?"

He nods, "Yeah, I know. Which is why this isn't alcohol. It's just water. I'm not completely out of tune to how the world works."

She laughs quietly, "Right, of course."

Ward sits down in the seat next to her and uncaps the bottle, pouring some of the water into both glasses. He sets the bottle down and then picks up a glass, handing it to her.

"Thanks," she smiles gratefully, taking the glass from him and holding it in her hands, staring down into the clear liquid, swishing it around in the glass a bit.

"Does he know?"

Skye looks back up at him, "What?"

"Miles. Does he know...about the baby?" He makes a slightly awkward gesture to her still flat stomach.

Skye sighs and shakes her head, "No, he doesn't. He doesn't know because I haven't told him."

He shifts in his seat, "Can I ask why?"

Skye takes a deep breath, "Well, considering how it's been a few weeks since the last time I saw him, and that's really only because he sold information for money and didn't seem to care who he might hurt in the process I wasn't really too keen on telling him that I'm carrying his child."

"Don't you think he deserves to know?" Ward asks. "I mean, if somebody was having my baby I'd probably want to know about it. Of course, I'd most likely be terrified because I don't know the first thing about taking care of kids, but I'd at least try and be there for the child."

"And that's where you and Miles are very different," she tells him. "Where your robot programming would have you stepping up to try and do right by whoever you got pregnant, I have a feeling Miles is the exact opposite. As long as I've known him, he's never really been one for the idea of settling down. I don't really think that would change if I told him about this baby."

"Well I'm sorry about that," Ward says sincerely. "That really is too bad. But you know what?"

"What?"

"You have a whole team here that is going to be by your side every step of the way."

"Really?" she asks, not quite believing it.

He nods, "Absolutely."

"You guys aren't going to just toss me off the plane next time we stop because you don't want a baby getting in the way of your SHIELD stuff?"

He shakes his head, "We'd never do that. Even thought you aren't an agent, you're a part of this team. We take care of our own. We're all going to be here for you. And you can especially count on me to be there for you and your baby. I may not be the best role model or example of how to express feelings, but I can protect you both and help you with whatever you may need. If you'll let me."

She gives him a small smile, "That'd be nice, thanks."

"No problem," he gives her a small smile back. "I don't want you to feel like you're alone in this at all."

"And I appreciate that very much," she smiles. She takes a deep breath and then takes a drink of water from her glass. She sets the glass down on the table, "Well, I think I'm going to go try and get some sleep while I still can." She stands up from the couch, "Once this baby gets here I'm probably not going to get very much sleep for many years."

"Well I'll be there to help you," he tells her. "You can count on me for whatever."

She smiles, "Thanks." She leans down and presses a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you later," she tells him after she stands back up. When she's halfway towards her bunk she turns back towards him, "This means I can count on you to travel halfway around the world to get me whatever I'm craving when I'm craving it, right? Good, thanks."

Ward just chuckles as he watches Skye walk away towards her bunk. The next nine months are definitely going to be the longest he's ever experienced.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Also, still working on a project for Brett. If you're interested, let me know. I'd be happy to give you more details. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	29. Irritation and ICERS

**Hey babes! Back again with a new little one-shot/drabble for ya. It's a short one, and a dialogue-only fic, but I like to think it's still pretty cute/funny. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Can I kill him?"

"No."

"Just a little bit?"

"Skye, no."

"He's doing it completely wrong."

"That doesn't mean you can just kill him."

"But he didn't listen to a single thing that I taught him."

"He's a cadet, Skye. Not even a full fledged agent yet. Just because you're his SO, it doesn't mean you can kill him for not coding right. He's going to make mistakes and then he'll learn from those mistakes."

"I know, you're right. I don't know why I'm getting so irritated by this."

"Maybe it's because your seven months pregnant and your emotions are greatly heightened right now."

"Or it's because this kid is actually an idiot and is making me question how he's even made it this far as a cadet."

"Skye, go easy on him. It's his first year; he's still getting the hang of things."

"Skye?"

"Skye, what is it?"

"He made another damn mistake."

"You can't kill him."

"Fine. But can I at least ICE him then?"

"No."

"Skye..."

"I'm gonna ICE him."

"Skye, no! Get back here!"

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know what you think in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	30. Wrong Number

**Hey babes! Happy first day of Skyeward Week! That's a thing that's happening over on Tumblr this week. So in honor of that, I'll be uploading a new little one-shot every day until Friday. This first one is kinda short, but the one-shots will get longer as the week goes on. Most of them will be within this collection, but I think there's one that I will be posting separately. Still not sure.  
Anyways, the prompt for this little number here was: **_Imagine person A of your OTP texting their best friend "I think I like person B" but accidentally sending to person B. _

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Jemma! I really really need to talk to you right now. I'm kind of freaking out because I really didn't think I could feel this way about him but he was just there and I know it might sound kind of cliché but the sun was shining so perfectly behind him and he's already super sweet and in case you haven't figured it out yet I think I like Grant._

Hitting send on the text message, Skye locks her phone and then tosses it down in front of her on her blanket, biting her lip between teeth and bouncing her knee up and down, waiting for a response.

After a couple of minutes, her phone beeps and she looks down at the screen to see a new text message from Grant Ward. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she picks the phone and slides to unlock it in order to read the message.

**This isn't Jemma.**

Her face pales when she sees the message above his, from her to him, though it wasn't actually intended for him.

She takes a calming breath before typing back a reply _Wow, yeah, I am so sorry about that. My bad. Don't really know what happened. Your names are nowhere near each other in my contact list. You can go ahead and ignore that last message._

She gets a reply almost instantly **I don't think I'm going to. That text was pretty interesting.**

_You can't see me right now but I'm extremely mortified that that even happened._

**Don't be. I think you're really sweet too.**

Her eyes go wide _You do?_

**Yeah, I do. I just didn't think you felt the same way about me that I do about you.**

_And what way is that exactly?_

**I like you.**

**A lot.**

_I like you too._

_A lot._

**That's great. Really great.**

_It is?_

**Yeah.**

_And why is that?_

**Because that means there's a greater chance of you agreeing to go out on a date with me this weekend.**

_Seriously?_

**Seriously.**

**What do you say? Want to go out Friday night?**

_Yeah, I'd love to._

**Great. I'll be at your house to pick you up at eight.**

_How do you know where I live?_

**We've lived on the same street since we were seven.**

_Right, of course. I guess I'll see you on Friday._

**Can't wait.**

Setting her phone down on the mattress, Skye runs her hands down her face as she breathes in deeply, letting a small smile grow on her face. Then she lets out a squeal and fist pumps the air excitedly.

Picking her phone back up, she quickly types a message _JEEEEEMMMAAA! GRANT FREAKING WARD JUST ASKED ME TO GO OUT WITH HIM FRIDAY NIGHT! I AM COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW! I NEED YOU TO COME OVER SO YOU CAN HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHAT TO WEAR! PLEASE! I NEED YOU!_

She hits send and then tosses her phone back onto the bed, her eyes flitting over to her closet as she tries to imagine what she should wear.

Her phone goes off and she picks it back up to see a new text from Grant.

**I honestly don't care what you wear. I'm sure you'll look beautiful in whatever you pick. :)**

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. :)**

**Until next time,  
****Jellybean96 out!**


	31. Love on the Quidditch Pitch

**Hey babes! Hope you all enjoyed the last one-shot. Here's the one for today, inspired by one of the coolest things ever, Quidditch. This one took a little bit more work cause I wanted to make sure I got the number for the Cup right, as well as look up all the places that have teams to make sure Italy actually has one. :)**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Jemma, come on! Hurry up! Move your little British butt!" Skye shouts to her friend as they make their way across the expansive field towards the large Quidditch stadium.

"Would you relax, Skye?" Jemma calls back. "The stadium isn't going anywhere and neither are our seats."

Skye sighs, "I know, sorry. I'm just really excited for this game."

"So am I," Jemma smiles. "Fitz said it's supposed to be very exciting."

"I'm sure it will be," Skye smiles. "The Italian Team is in the finals this year."

"I think it has something to do with their new player."

"The Seeker, right?" Skye questions.

Jemma nods her head, "Grant Ward."

"How do you think he's going to do?" Skye asks her friend as they make their way towards the large stadium.

"I don't know," Jemma replies. "I've never really seen him play in person before. Just stuff I've seen through videos and whatnot. But those who have seen him play in person say that he's really great."

"Well then I'm sure this'll be an interesting game. Also, who are you rooting for?"

"The English Team, of course. Honestly, what do you take me for?" Jemma looks over at Skye, half offended.

Skye holds both hands up in the air, "Whoa, relax, Jem. It was just a question."

"Right, I knew that."

"Sure you did, weirdo."

"And who are you rooting for?" Jemma asks her.

"The Italian team, duh."

Jemma nods her head, "Right, yes. Well, should we go and find our seats?" Jemma asks as they near the entrance to the stadium.

"Yes please," Skye smiles. "I mean, I know we already got our seats months ago, but I want to try and get even better seats."

"Skye, no," Jemma shakes her head as they step through the doors.

"What?"

"I think I know what you're going to say and no."

The two witches begin climbing the tall staircase.

"There's no way you could possibly know what I was going to say unless you used some kind of charm, but you wouldn't do that because you're too nice," Skye replies.

"And because it's an invasion of privacy."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Skye waves off her statement. "Can we just find our seats, please? I know we're sitting right in front of a railing. And thank goodness for that, because I do not want to have to try and see between people's heads to view the game."

"Yes, that is a plus. How did we manage to get such good seats, anyways?"

...

_"We're going to get caught," Skye says to the man trailing hot kisses down the length of her neck. "I'm not supposed to be back here."_

_"I'm allowed to have guests back here," the man says, focusing on a particular spot of her collarbone, making Skye's knees go weak._

_She grabs onto his shoulders to steady herself. "Family and friends," she reminds him. "Of which I am considered neither to the public's eye."_

_"You are my girlfriend," he says against her skin. "And I love you very much."_

_"I love you too," she says. "But the public doesn't know that, because you won't let me tell anyone."_

_The man pulls back to look her in the eyes. "Skye, you know how much you mean to me. You are my entire world. I would love to tell everyone, believe me. But you know why we couldn't."_

_"The Quidditch World Cup," she says._

_He nods, "Yeah. If anyone else knew about us, they'd be all over you, asking if you know anything about whatever involving this match. The biggest match of the year."_

_"You know I'd never tell them."_

_"I know you wouldn't," he smiles. "But that doesn't mean they'd leave you alone. I couldn't let that happen to you. But I promise, after tonight's match, the world will know about us and how in love with you I am."_

_Skye grins, "Sounds like a plan to me."_

_"I'm glad you think so. Can we continue kissing now?" he asks._

_Skye laughs quietly, "Of course we can." She leans forward and captures his lips with hers, tugging him down onto the small couch in the room._

_..._

"Just from a really good friend of mine," Skye smiles to herself. "I promise nothing illegal was done to obtain these tickets."

"I wasn't going to say that," Jemma responds.

"Maybe not. But you were definitely thinking it."

"Possibly," Jemma shrugs. "But you aren't going to find out. Especially not anytime soon, we have a game to watch."

"I know, I'm so excited," Skye smiles. "I've actually never been to the World Cup Finals before so this is super exciting."

"Just as it is for me," Jemma says. "I just really can't wait to—"

"Welcome," the Minister of Magic speaks up from his box, getting everyone's attention. "It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to the Final of the 431st Quidditch World Cup."

"Woo!" Skye and Jemma cheer from way up in the stands. "Yeah!"

A second later, a group of people fly into the air on their broomsticks, creating different designs and patterns in the air.

"Yes!" Jemma shouts up into the air. "I believe in you England! You've got this!"

The next thing they know, another group bursts onto the scene from the opposite end of the field.

"Woo! Let's go Italy!" Skye screams into the vast openness of the stadium. "Yeah!"

"And now," the minister speaks, "let the match...begin."

A loud horn sounds and all the Quidditch balls are released into the game from down below, quickly followed by the Golden Snitch.

The players immediately dart around the field, the Quaffle is caught, and the game commences.

* * *

_"What a close match this is turning out to be, folks,"_ the commentator of the game says. _"Italy has just scored again, bringing the teams to a tie at 150-150. But remember, this game is not over until the Snitch is caught."_

"You know, sometimes I hate how hard the Snitch is to see," Skye tells Jemma as they watch the game.

"Really?"

"Yeah. But other times it's kind of awesome that only a certain few people have the ability to see it while it's flying around during a match."

_"Looks like something excited has happened on the field, everyone. Looks like Grant Ward has just taken a dive,"_ the commentator says. _"Could it be that he's finally seen the Golden Snitch?"_

"Oh he definitely has," Skye grins as she watches in rapt attention as the players zoom across the sky. Her focus remains on the Italian team's Seeker, concentrating hard as he flies fast, even as the English Seeker, Lance Hunter chases after him.

_"Lance Hunter is right on Grant's tail. It's certainly going to be a close one. With both team's all tied up, whoever catches this Snitch will win the match. Who's it going to be?"_

"Come on, England!" Jemma shouts.

"You got this, Gra—Italy!" Skye screams into the night air.

_"Looks like Hunter is pulling ahead of Grant now."_

One side of the stadium cheers.

_"Grant is really gunning for it now."_

The other half of the stadium cheers.

_"Looks like it's going to be a really close game here. They're going, they're going...He's done it! Grant Ward has just caught the Golden Snitch! The Italian Team has done it! They've won the game! They've won the Cup!"_

The entire Italian side of the stadium erupts into loud cheers. They scream and wave their flags in the air in enthusiasm.

"Yes!" Skye shouts. "Woo hoo! Yeah, Italy!"

_"Wait a minute,"_ the commentator says, _"something else is happening out on the field. Grant Ward seems to be flying around up above, not exactly sure what he's doing here. It seems like he's looking around for something. And now he's moving towards the spectators. What could he possibly be doing?"_

"What's going on?" Jemma asks Skye as they watch Grant fly towards their section of seats.

"I have no idea," Skye says, trying to keep the smile off of her face.

A second later, Grant skids his broom to a stop in front of the stands and smiles down at everyone.

"I love you, Grant!" One woman yells from a few rows back.

Grant just chuckles, "Thank you. I'm actually here for a very specific person." His eyes land on Skye and he holds his hand out, "Care to join me?"

Skye smiles before taking Grant's hand and stepping up onto the railing in front of her. "Don't mind if I do."

"Wait! Skye, where are you going?" Jemma asks her.

Skye looks back at her best friend, "My _boyfriend_ is going to show me what the Quidditch pitch looks like from his point of view."

"Boyfriend?!" Jemma exclaims, her eyes going wide.

Skye just smiles at her friend before turning back to look at Grant and climbing up onto his broomstick. She sits sideways on the broomstick and then turns towards him, wrapping her arms around his neck to keep herself upright. Grant wraps one arm around her waist to help keep her steady.

"Hey," he smiles.

"Hey," she smiles back. "Great game."

"You think so?" he asks as he carefully steers them away from the stands.

She nods, "Mm-hmm. You were amazing. All that training you did really paid off."

"I'm glad you think so," he says. "Are you proud of me for catching the Snitch in Italy's first Quidditch World Cup Final?"

She nods again, "Very. And you know, I'm pretty sure I can think of a better prize than the enchanted trophy they'll give the team."

Grant smiles, "Oh really. And what would that be?"

Skye just smiles and leans forward, pressing her lips against his, not caring about the entire stadium full of witches and wizards watching them.

"That is definitely much better than an enchanted trophy," he tells her when she pulls away.

"I thought so. But quick question, why did you bring me up here?"

"Well, it's after the game, isn't it? And I did tell you that after the game, everyone would know about us."

Skye smiles and nods, "Yes, you did say that."

"So, how do you want to tell everyone? I mean, we're in front of an entire stadium of people right now. They're probably already trying to figure out what's going on."

"Well it definitely has to be something amazing," she tells him.

"I think I have just the idea," he smiles as he reaches inside his Quidditch robe to pull out his own wand. He lifts it up into the air, mutters an incantation under his breath, and then moves his wand around in a fluid motion.

"What are you doing?" Skye asks him.

"Just watch," he smiles, his eyes still trained on the sky above him.

A few seconds later, Skye can see bright words appearing in the darkness above them, looking like stars.

_My name is Grant Ward and I am in love with Skye Coulson._

Once he finishes writing, he pulls his wand down and smiles at Skye. "Now the whole stadium knows. And soon, the entire wizarding world will know too."

"Very sweet," she smiles back. "But I think there's something missing."

"What?"

Skye smiles before pulling her own wand out and holding it up. She mutters the same incantation and moves her wand in a similar pattern.

_My name is Skye Coulson and I am in love with Grant Ward._

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	32. Better Than a Tony

**Hey babes! Back again with a new one for ya. I had some fun writing this one. The prompt for this one was: **"_I'm a techie, you're the lead actor in a show" au. _**I had a bit of a tough time coming up with a title for this one, but I kinda like the one I came up with. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Okay, that was great everybody," the director of the show says to the two actors standing center stage. "Really great. Grant, I love the way you did that just then. But when you're singing the end of that song, I need you to remember to sing it right to your leading lady, never taking your eyes off of her; you want her to really know how you feel about her and this entire situation you're in."

Grant nods his head in understanding, "Right, got it."

"Great," the director breathes out. "Let's run that number again from the top." He presses a finger to his headset mic, "Can we get playback ready to go, please?"

_"Playback is ready whenever you are," _the feminine voice on the other end says.

The director turns his attention back to the actors in front of him, "Alright. Let's start from right before the song, with your line, Lorelei."

The redheaded woman nods and she and Grant move back to their starting positions. She takes a deep breath before opening her mouth to speak completely switching over to her character, "We can't keep going on like this, Marcus. Something has to be done."

"I don't know what you want me to say or do, Carrie," Grant says as his character.

"Anything," she replies, with tears shining in her eyes. "Anything that'll show me that you really want this."

"I do want this," he says, taking her hands in his as the music for the song slowly fades in. "Despite what could happen to us, I want this more than anything."

Before he can start singing, a loud screech of feedback comes through the speakers followed by a _"Jessie! No!" _and then some shuffling and a click. There's a brief pause, everyone's heads looking up towards the tech booth at the back end of the theatre. _"Sorry, sorry,"_ the same voice says, _"so completely sorry about that. I'm uh, just gonna need a few minutes to fix some things up here. Again, so sorry."_

The director sighs. "Alright, everybody, let's take ten. When we get back we'll run the show from the top." He turns around and makes his way up the aisle of the theatre, determination in his walk and on his face.

"Grant," Lorelei speaks up in what he assumes is supposed to be a sultry voice, making her way towards the him, "wanna go somewhere and work on that scene near the end? I'm still having some trouble with it."

"Yeah, uh, maybe later," he tells her offhandedly, his attention still directed up towards the tech booth.

Making his way across the stage he goes down the stairs and then up the aisle, following the same path his director did just a minute before.

When he steps out the theatre doors he goes over to the single door that leads up to the tech booth, finding it slightly ajar. Pushing it open the rest of the way, he leans in and then pauses, hearing voices coming from up above.

"...you know that I do, but I made it very clear from the beginning that this cannot happen."

"I know, I know, and I'm really sorry, Phil. But I honestly had no other choice today. I promise that this won't happen again, though."

"Good. We're running the show again from the top in ten minutes."

"Yep, got it. The system will be ready to go when you and all the actors are."

Hearing footsteps approaching, Grant quickly leans back out of the door and moves across the hallway to lean back against the wall in what he hopes is a casual manner.

"Grant."

He lifts his head to see his director standing in the hallway. "Hey, Phil."

"What are you doing out here?" Phil asks him.

"Just uh, just getting some air."

"Lorelei?" the man questions with a slightly raised eyebrow and small smile.

Grant sighs and nods, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry you have to go through that, Grant."

"The things we do for the theatre, right?" Grant says with a small smile of his own.

Phil chuckles, "Yes. Well, I'll see you back in there."

"Yeah," Grant nods, watching as Phil makes his way back into the theatre. He waits a quick beat before moving back towards the tech booth door and pulling it open.

Making his way inside he closes the door behind him as he ascends the stairs, rounding the corner into the medium sized room.

He sees a petite brunette woman hunched over in the far corner of the room, her back to him.

"Hello?" he calls out, getting her attention.

The woman turns her head to look at him. "Hi. What are you doing up here?" she asks him with furrowed brows.

"I uh, I heard you talking to Phil and I guess I just got a little curious. I'm sorry if I interrupted or disturbed something. I'll just...I'll go now." He moves to go back down the stairs when a small voice speaks up.

"Mommy? Who is that?"

The woman turns back to the corner, "He's one of the actors in the play mommy's working on, baby girl." She turns back to him and stands up, revealing a small child with the same color hair sitting in the corner with toys and other things spread out around her. "You don't have to go," the woman tells him. "I'm just not used to having any actors up here. You guys usually tend to stay down on the stage or in your dressing rooms, mingling with your own kind."

"Right," he nods. "And I don't think I've ever seen you down near the stage either. Do you techies tend to stay up here and not interact with others?"

She shrugs, "It's easier. No offense, but most of the actors I've worked with have been pretty stuck up and snooty, I'd rather not hang around them."

He holds his hands up for a moment, "Hey, no offense taken. I don't really hang out with them all that much either outside of rehearsals."

"Not even your leading lady?" she asks, moving to sit down on the couch that's against one wall.

He shakes his head and leans against the wall, "No. Lorelei's a little...much for me."

"Of course she is," the brunette nods. "I'm Skye, by the way."

"Grant," he tells her.

"Yeah, I know. I know who everyone in this show is."

"Right, of course you do."

"I'm Jess."

Grant turns his head towards the little girl to see her standing up and toddling over to the couch where Skye sits.

Skye leans forward and lifts the little girl into her lap, "Yes you are." She looks up at Grant, "This is my daughter, Jessica."

"Oh, wow. It's very nice to meet you, Jessica."

"You too," the little girl smiles up at him. "Mommy," she turns her head to look at Skye, "how long we stayin?"

"Oh, we've still got a few more hours left here, sweet girl." Skye adjusts her daughter's position in her lap and runs a hand over her head, smoothing back some of her hair.

"Today is daddy day. I want daddy."

"I know, baby girl. But remember, daddy couldn't watch you today. So you got to come to work with mommy."

"But I wanna go down there," she points through the large window in front of the sound and light board. "I wanna watch."

"Sorry, baby. Not today. Maybe another time, okay? Now go back over and play with your things."

"Okay," Jessica slides down off of her mom's lap and goes back over to where her things are located.

"How old is she?" Grant asks her as he sits down on the couch next to her.

"Just turned four," she tells him. "She's a little bit of a handful but I love her."

"She definitely seems like she has a lot of energy."

Skye nods. "Ever since she started crawling I knew she was going to be keeping me pretty busy. But she's also a big ball of love," Skye smiles over at her daughter. "Her dad and I are very lucky to have her."

"Forgive me if I'm overstepping, but uh, I couldn't help noticing how she said that today is 'daddy day'. Are you and her dad not together?"

"You're fine," she tells him with a small smile. "And no, we aren't together anymore. We were for a while, we got married relatively young. Kids weren't really a part of our plan, the topic had never come up before, but then Jess happened and we decided to keep her. I'm not exactly sure what happened along the line with our marriage, but eventually we both realized that things weren't working between us anymore. We just finalized the divorce a couple months ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. It's been a little tough not having him around the house 24/7, but he's still there for Jess when he needs to be. He's a great father, and there's no bad blood between us or anything which I'm especially grateful for."

"That's really good to hear," Grant gives her a small smile.

"Yeah. He was actually supposed to watch Jess today, but apparently he had an emergency at his work and wasn't able to take her. My best friend and her husband are both out of town so they couldn't watch her like they usually do if I need someone to, and no one else I asked was able to watch her last minute either."

"Your parents couldn't?" he asks.

She shakes her head, "Don't have any. Orphan. Never found my parents."

"Oh, wow, I'm so sorry," he says.

"Don't be," she replies. "I got over that fact a long time ago."

"Right," he nods. "So I'm guessing Jessica is the one who messed with the equipment up here just a little bit ago?"

Skye sighs and nods, "Unfortunately, yes. Phil wasn't too happy about that. I've known him for years and he loves Jess, but the tech booth isn't really the place for a toddler to be."

"No, I guess it isn't."

"But I didn't really have any other choice."

"Don't you have a whole team, though?" he asks. "Couldn't one of them have been here today so you could stay home with your daughter?"

She nods, "Yeah, I do have a team. But I'm really the only one who's competent enough to actually set everything up and make sure it's running well. Plus all the ideas for lighting schemes and whatnot from reading the script and seeing the show rehearsals are all up here," she taps on the side of her head, "so it's easier to just do this all myself and then teach it to them once it's all figured out so they can do it for the shows. All they really have to do is a press a button to switch to the next scheme."

"So you're kind of like the head honcho up here, then," he smiles.

Skye gives him a small laugh, "Yeah, I guess so."

Grant takes a deep breath and stands from the couch, "Well, I should probably go, you need to fix your setup and I need to go get ready onstage."

"Right," Skye nods and stands as well. "I guess I'll see you around, then."

"Yeah," he nods. "Bye."

"Bye," Skye gives him a small wave.

"Bye, Grant!"

Grant smiles over at the little girl in the corner, "Bye, Jessica." He turns and makes his way back towards the stairs.

Stopping a few steps down, he turns around and makes his way back up. "Skye?" he calls out, getting her attention.

The brunette spins around from the lighting equipment and looks at him. "Yeah?"

"This may seem a little sudden because we literally just met and you just recently got divorced, but would you like to go out to dinner next Saturday? With me?"

Skye gives him a small smile, "I'd love to."

* * *

_***Several months later***_

"Welcome back to the 74th annual Tony Awards. Please welcome to the stage, from _What's In A Name?,_ Kara Lynn Palamas."

The crowd cheers and claps as the raven haired actress makes her way out onto the stage, an envelope clutched tightly in her hands.

"Good evening," she says into the microphone in front of her when the noise dies down. "It is my upmost pleasure tonight to be able to present the award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical. All five of these men who are nominated have such tremendous talent and the world is truly blessed to be able to witness the magic that happens whenever they step out onto that stage and do what it is that they do." She pauses. "The nominees for Best Lead Actor in a Musical are...Steve Rogers, _Love and War_; Clint Barton, _Louder Than Words_; Grant Ward, _Split In Two_; Lincoln Campbell, _When Sparks Fly_; Joey Gutierrez, _Love is Love._"

Holding up an envelope, Kara smiles into the mic, "And the winner for Best Lead Actor in a Musical is..." she quickly pulls open the envelope, reading the name to herself before leaning towards the mic again, "Grant Ward, _Split In Two_."

The crowd bursts into applause as, down in his seat, Grant gets a wide smile of happiness and disbelief on his face. He turns his head to the brunette woman sitting next to him.

She smiles wide back at him, resting a hand gently on his arm. "You did it, babe. Go on up there and get what you deserve." She leans forward and gives him a quick kiss before nudging him up out of his seat.

Grant takes a deep breath, straightens out his suit jacket, and then makes his way up onto the stage.

Reaching the center of the stage, he accepts the golden statue from the person next to him and then stands at the microphone, taking a moment to admire the award in his hands.

"Wow," he says into the mic, looking out at the audience. "This is...incredible, absolutely incredible. This is my first ever Tony Award, as well as nomination, and I'm so grateful and honored to be able to celebrate this moment with so many of the wonderful people that helped to make this happen; I don't think this would be possible without all of the amazing people who took a chance on me."

He takes a deep breath and shifts on his feet. "I've always had such a huge passion for theatre, even when I would get teased about it relentlessly in high school. People always told me that I looked like an athlete and that I should be on the football team, or on the wrestling team. A few times I almost listened to them; I almost gave up doing what I love just so people would stop harassing me about it. But I didn't listen to them and I continued to do what I love. And because of that, I'm up here tonight in front of all of you, receiving this amazing award. If I hadn't continued to do what I love then I wouldn't be here, and I might never have met the most incredible and amazing woman I've ever met, my beautiful leading lady in life. I love you so much, honey, thank you for being by my side through this whole journey and supporting me every step of the way. And thank you to all the incredible people who came out to see the show, your support has been so amazing." He holds the statue tightly in both of his hands, "I am going to treasure this for a very, very long time. Thank you so much." He smiles out at the crowd and then is lead backstage before going to back down to the audience.

Sitting back down in his seat, he leans back in his chair and lets out a breath.

"I told you you'd get it."

Grant turns and smiles at the woman, "And I told you that you'd get yours for Best Lighting Design. And you did. Because you, Skye, are the absolute best at what you do."

Skye smiles up at Grant, "We both are."

"Yes we are," he smiles back, leaning forward to capture her lips in his.

"I got a video from Miles while you were backstage," she tells him when they pull away. "I think it's of Jess watching you win. We can watch it after we get out of here."

"Can't we just get out of here now?" he asks.

She gives him a sympathetic smile, "Sorry, babe. But unfortunately we have to stay for the rest of the show. It's almost over, though. So we'll be able to get out of here soon."

"Good," he says. "Because as much as I love being here, especially with you, I really want to get out of this suit."

Skye leans towards his ear and speaks in a sultry voice, "I think I can help you with that. Jess is staying with Miles tonight so we have all the time in the world. I'll help you get out of that suit for as long as you want." She lightly nips at his earlobe before sitting back in her seat, a small smile on her face.

Grant just looks over at her, his eyes darkened, "You can't say stuff like that to me when we're in public."

"But it's more fun that way," she smirks.

"If there weren't a whole bunch of people around us right now..." he trails off.

"Oh, I know," Skye smiles and nods. "Me too, believe me."

...

"Alright, play the video now," Grant says to Skye when they get out into the lobby of the theatre, moving off to the side, out of the way of all the people.

"Yeah, yeah, hold on," Skye says to him, still holding onto his hand as she pulls her phone out of her purse. She unlocks it and goes into her messages, selecting the most recent one from Miles.

She turns up the sound a bit before clicking on the video, allowing it to fill the whole screen.

_Jessica's side fills up part of the screen; she's standing in front of the TV in the living room of Miles' apartment, leaning forward against an ottoman as her eyes are fixed onto the TV screen sitting on the stand against the wall._

_When Grant's name and image is shown on the screen and he's announced as a nominee, Jessica bounces excitedly on her feet, a wide smile on her face as she clutches her favorite stuffed animal close to her._

_"Grant Ward, Split In Two."_

_As Grant stands from his seat, Jessica begins jumping up and down, cheering and clapping along with the crowd. "Yay!" she shouts. "Yay, Grant! Yay!"_

_"What do you want to say to Grant, sweetie?" Miles' voice comes through the phone._

_Jessica turns around fully to face the camera and takes a step towards it, smiling wide. "I love you, Grant! And you, mommy!" She blows a big kiss at the screen before the video ends._

"Aww, that was so cute," Skye smiles.

"It really was," Grant smiles as well. He looks at Skye, "Have I told you recently how glad I am to have you and Jess in my life?"

"Certainly wouldn't hurt to hear it every once in a while," she smiles up at him, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck.

Grant wraps his own arms around her waist to hold her close. "Well I'm very glad," he tells her. "I am so in love with you and Jess has most definitely wormed her way into my heart. You both mean the world to me and I don't know what I would do if you ever stopped being a part of my life."

"Well let's hope that we never have to find out," she smiles. "Because I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. And Jess seems to be very attached to you, too."

"I've grown pretty attached to her as well," Grant tells his girlfriend. "Now come on, why don't we go home and relax. I'm not really feeling up to an after party tonight."

"That's a shame," Skye says with a hint of smirk. "Because I was thinking we could have our own little after party." She lets the smirk grow and gives him a wink before pulling away and making her way towards the exit.

Grant lets out a breath and then quickly follows after her, a smile on his face as he grabs her hand in his, lacing their fingers together, and walks with her out the front doors.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts. **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	33. Full of Regret and Reconciliation

**Hey babes! Got a new one for ya. I had some fun with writing this one too. And I really like how it turned out. The prompt for this one was **_"I'm your daughter"._

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Do I really have to go to this thing tonight, Jem?" Skye asks her best friend as they finish getting ready in her apartment.

"Yes, you do," Jemma tells her. "This is a big achievement for him and as his friends we're going there to show our support."

Skye gives her a look, "Fitz is going to be there, isn't he?"

"What? Oh, I uh, I don't know."

Skye rolls her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. But fine, I'll go to the party, say hello to him, have some food, maybe a drink or two, and then I'm leaving."

Jemma sighs, "Skye, seriously? It's been eighteen years."

"Do you honestly think I don't know that, Jem? We made that decision together, and even though it was a hard choice to make, it was the best one. There's no way we were ready for that kind of responsibility."

"Yes, I know. I just wish everything had worked out differently. You two were always so great together, even when you were still just friends."

"Trust me, I know. I wish things could have gone differently too, I really loved him. But after that decision, something just changed between us."

"Do you ever wish you could go back and change your decision?" Jemma asks her.

Skye nods, "Sometimes I do. But other times I'm glad we made the decision that we did."

"Alright, well, it's almost time for the party. Shall we go?"

Skye takes a deep breath and nods once, "Yes we shall."

* * *

"Jemma's coming to the party tonight," Grant tells his best friend from where they're lounging back in his living room. And apparently she's bringing a plus one. Think she has a boyfriend?"

Fitz shakes his head, "She doesn't have a boyfriend. And I already know who her plus one is."

"Who is it?"

"Are you being serious right now? Who do you think is coming with her?"

"Right," Grant nods. "She's Jemma's best friend, of course she's going to be here. I know the layout of this place pretty well, I can probably maneuver around well enough that we don't run into each other too much."

"Are you serious, Grant? You're really going to try and avoid her all night?"

"Well, maybe not all night, but most of it, yeah."

"Don't you think you two are acting a bit childish about this whole thing?"

"No, I don't think that we are. Things didn't work out between us and it's been eighteen years since we had a real conversation. Sometimes I wish things didn't happen the way that they did, but I can't go back and change any of it. We both have had to live with the choice that we made."

"Yeah, I know. But I still think you two should be together. You two were good together."

Grant sighs, "Instead of focusing on my relationship, or lack thereof, I think you should focus on your own relationship with Jemma. When was the last time you fumbled over your words around her?"

"You know what, this isn't about me. This is about you and your party tonight. So go finish getting ready."

"Alright, alright. I'll see you later."

"Yeah, see ya."

* * *

"Congratulations, Grant."

"Thank you," Grant smiles politely at the other man, shaking his hand. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," the man says with a smile before walking away.

"I, of course, would have missed this if given the chance."

"Skye, I didn't realize you'd be here," he lies.

"Liar," Skye calls him out. "Jemma's here because of Fitz and I'm her best friend. I know not even you are dumb enough not to realize that."

Grant nods, "You're right. Fitz told me earlier that you'd be here. But I honestly didn't believe him. Told myself I wouldn't believe him until I saw you standing here in front of me."

"Well here I am," she says, giving him a tight smile.

"Here you are," he nods.

"So, um, congratulations, I guess," she says awkwardly. "This is a pretty big accomplishment."

"Thanks," he says back. "It was a lot of hard work and many late nights, but it's done now."

"Yes it is," she nods.

Grant shifts on his feet, "So, uh, how are you?"

Skye shrugs, "Okay. You? Wait, that was a stupid question. Obviously you're doing alright for yourself, considering this entire party is for you."

Grant nods, "Yeah, in my professional life I'm doing pretty well. Personal life, not so much."

"Well I'm sure that'll all turn around eventually."

"I honestly don't know about that. I mean, all I really want to—"

"Excuse me?"

Grant turns around to see a young girl with long dark brown, almost black, hair and dark brown eyes standing in front of him.

"Hello," he says slowly.

"Wow," the girl breathes out. "It's really you, you're Grant Ward."

Grant nods, "That's me. Are you a fan of my work?"

"In a way," the girl replies. Then her eyes catch sight of Skye standing behind Grant. Her eyes go wide, "Skye Coulson? You're here too?"

Skye raises an eyebrow, "You know me? How do you know me? Nobody knows me."

"Well I do."

"Okay, how?"

The girl looks back and forth between them before taking a deep breath. "I'm your daughter."

Both Grant and Skye freeze where they stand and just stare at the young girl in front of them.

Skye is the first to speak. "No," she says. She shakes her head, "No, you're wrong. I don't have a daughter." She turns and begins walking away.

"Wait!" The young girl calls after Skye as she starts to go after her. Grant sighs and follows right behind them. "Wait, please," the girl says when she follows Skye out the back of the building. "Please, stop."

Skye eventually stops, leaning one hand against the brick wall across from the building they'd just emerged from.

"Why did you say you don't have a daughter?" The girl asks when she and Grant get outside.

"Because I don't," Skye replies, her head down. "At least, not in any way that counts."

"Hang on," Grant says, turning his attention on the girl. "Why are you here claiming that we're your parents? Don't you have parents back home?"

"They aren't my real parents," the girl says. "I was adopted when I was a baby. They're a great family, I love them so much, I even have a couple of younger siblings. But they never hid from me the fact that I was adopted. It's kind of obvious when you see all of us together too. And ever since they told me, I've been dying to know who my birth parents are."

"How do you even know if we're your birth parents?" Grant asks.

The girl shrugs, "I'm good with computers." That makes Grant chuckle and shake his head. "I've been searching for you guys online for over a year. My adoption records were sealed so I had to do some...not so legal stuff to find your names. I actually couldn't even believe it when I saw that Grant Ward is my biological father. I never dreamed of it. I honestly didn't believe it at first; I had to double check because I wanted to be extra sure. But sure enough, you are. You're my biological dad. And Skye's my mom. That one was a little bit harder to dig up, but I managed to do it. Oh! My name's Jessica, by the way. Jessica Katherine."

"We know," Skye cuts in, her head still down.

Grant and Jessica turn towards her; Jessica with a look of confusion and Grant with a look of sympathy.

"What do you mean you know?" Jessica asks.

Skye looks up at her, visible tear tracks on her cheeks. "We know what your name is because we named you."

"You did?" Jessica asks. "My parents, my other parents, said this was the name I had when they adopted me and they think it's beautiful. I've always been under the impression that the hospital gave me my name."

Skye shakes her head, "No, it was me and Grant. We had the name picked out about a week after we found out you were a girl."

"Really? You guys named me?" she looks back and forth between them.

"We did," Grant nods. "Skye chose your first name and I chose your middle name."

"Can I ask how you came up with it?"

"I've always loved the name Jessica," Skye says. "Ever since I was little. I'm not really sure why I've always loved the name, but I decided to give it to you."

"And Katherine is after my great aunt," Grant says. "She was an amazing woman and I wanted you to have a piece of that. We named you because we wanted you to have an actual name before we put you up for adoption. We didn't want you to just be called baby number four, or however they would have done it."

"Why did you guys put me up for adoption?" Jessica asks. "Did you not want me or something?"

"Of course we wanted you," Skye says, turning more towards Jessica. "When we found out about you we were both so excited. But you have to understand that we were also still kids ourselves. We were just starting our junior year of high school when you were born. But we both knew that we wouldn't be able to give you the childhood you deserved if we kept you. We could barely take care of ourselves, let alone a baby. We gave you up to give you the best chance. We wanted you to have a better life than we could have given you."

"I've had a great life," Jessica says. "I love my family and they all love me. But I want...I wanted to find you guys. To just see you in person and see what you're like."

"And?" Grant prods. "What do you think?"

"Honestly? I don't know. I'm eighteen years old and I've found my biological parents. I wasn't sure if this day would ever happen. And to top it off, I find out that they _did_ want me, but gave me up because they loved me and wanted me to have a better life. This is all kind of crazy."

"It's a little crazy for us, too," Grant says. "We never thought we'd see you again."

"But here I am now," Jessica smiles. "You guys know who I am now and you can be a part of my life."

"You already have parents," Skye says. "We gave you up when you were a baby; we don't deserve to be a part of your life."

"Don't say that," Jessica shakes her head. "I understand why you guys gave me up. I'm not going to hold it against you; you did it because you love me. Don't get me wrong, I love my family at home and I'm glad I'm with them, but you two are also a part of me. I want you guys to be able to get to know me, and vice versa."

"And how are your other parents, the ones who actually raised you, going to feel about two people who are practically strangers showing up in their daughters' life?" Skye asks.

"They actually encouraged me to find you guys," Jessica says. "Of course, they did warn me to be careful, not to get my hopes up too high or anything. But they're both more than willing to let you be a part of my life."

"Well they were right to tell you not to get your hopes up," Skye says. "I think you should leave now."

Jessica's face falls, "What?"

"That's not your decision to make, Skye," Grant says. "My building, my decision."

"You want me to leave?" Jessica asks.

Skye stays quiet, not making eye contact.

Jessica stands straight and nods once, "Fine, okay. I'll go. But I'm going to leave two tickets to my high school graduation at the front counter. If you guys come to it, then I know you want to be in my life. If not, then I think the message will be pretty clear. I just want to get to know you guys, that's all." She turns and makes her way back inside the building, leaving Grant and Skye still outside.

"What the hell was that?" Grant asks Skye after a few minutes of silence.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she replies.

He shakes his head, "No. Don't do that. You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about. You can't deny that that girl just came up to us because she's our daughter. I didn't want to believe it at first, but she looks so much like us, Skye. She has the same name we picked out for our daughter and she's even a spitting image of the both of us."

"Exactly!" Skye shouts. "She's a damn spitting image of the parents who gave her up when she was a baby because they didn't think they could handle being teenaged parents!"

"We did what we thought was best for her," Grant says.

"That's what we say. But did we really do it because we were just two scared kids who had no idea what they were doing?"

"Skye..."

"I can't, Grant. Every time I look at her I'm just going to be reminded of how we gave her up and never got the chance to see her grow up."

"You heard her; she doesn't blame us for that. She understands."

"It doesn't matter. I just...I can't, okay? If you want to go to her graduation then that's fine, I don't care. Just don't ask me to do it too. I'm sorry, I have to go." She moves past him and walks back inside the building, leaving Grant alone in the darkness outside.

* * *

"I don't think they came," Jessica says with a defeated expression as she stands outside the school building with her family. "I should have listened to you guys; I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up that they'd actually want to be a part of my life."

"Hey now," Jessica's dad, Josh, speaks up, "don't be like that. Nobody blames you for hoping that they'd show up."

"Yeah, I know, I just feel kind of stupid about the whole thing. They gave me up when I was a baby and now I appear back in their life out of the blue, asking them to be a part of mine. I'm pretty sure it was all too much for them."

"It was definitely not too much."

Jessica turns around to see Grant approaching her, a small smile on his face.

"You came," she breathes out, letting a smile grow on her own face.

"Of course I did," he nods once. "I missed eighteen years of your life already; I wasn't about to miss out on any more."

"What about..."

Grant shakes his head, "I don't know. I gave the ticket to her friend to give to her, but I don't know if she used it."

"Oh, okay."

"Jessica, you have to understand that seeing you again wasn't easy for either one of us. We really thought we'd never see you again. Or if we did, we wouldn't know."

"Yeah, no, I get it. Really, I do."

"Good, I'm glad. And to be honest, I wasn't even sure if I was going to come tonight. But then I remembered how excited you were to meet us the other day. So here I am."

"Here you are," Jessica smiles. "Could I—can I...hug you?"

Grant smiles, "Of course you can."

Jessica grins and then steps forward, wrapping her arms tightly around Grant. Grant feels his eyes start to tear up and wraps his own arms around Jessica, hugging her back.

"I'm so glad you're here," she tells him.

"Me too," he says back.

"Is it too late to get in on this hug?"

Grant and Jessica pull apart and turn their heads to see Skye slowly approaching them, a nervous smile on her face.

"Definitely not," Jessica smiles. She opens one arm to Skye, allowing the older woman to join in on the hug. "I'm really glad you came," Jessica tells Skye after they pull back from the hug. "I wasn't sure if you were going to."

"I wasn't," Skye says honestly. "I tried to tell myself that it'd be a really bad idea. But my best friend convinced me to come here. And I'm really glad that I did. Seeing you up there tonight getting your diploma, it was amazing. I just, I wish Grant and I could have been a part of the journey that got you there. Can you ever forgive me for giving you away?" Skye asks as she chokes on a sob threatening to break past her lips.

"I already have," Jessica says.

Skye lets the sob break free as she and Jessica embrace once more.

After a few moments, Skye and Jessica pull away and Skye looks up to see Grant smiling at them with tears in his eyes.

"What's your deal?" she asks him as she wipes at her eyes.

"Nothing," he shakes his head.

"Grant, I know you. Spit it out."

"I'm just really happy, that's all. I never thought that this would ever happen."

"Stop being such a sap," she says.

"Well if I'm not mistaken, me being a sap is one of the reasons you fell for me," he smiles.

"It was a lapse in judgment," she replies.

"A very long lapse," he says. "I mean, we were together for three years, you know."

"Yeah, I know. You don't have to remind me. I was there too."

"Yeah, well." Grant turns his head to see Jessica and her family watching them. "Sorry about that," he says.

"Don't apologize," Jessica smiles. It's quiet for a moment before Jessica speaks again, "Do you guys want to meet my family?"

"Sure," Grant says.

"Great. Um, these are my parents, Josh and Karen. And my two little sisters, Meghan and Olivia."

"Hi," Skye gives them all a small wave. "I'm Skye, and this is Grant."

"Sissy, who are they?" Olivia speaks up.

Jessica leans down so she's at eye level with the five year old, "Grant and Skye are my biological parents. They're the ones who made me when I was a baby."

"Oh. Does that mean you're not my sister anymore?"

"Of course not," Jessica smiles. "I'm still your big sister. And you're still my baby sister."

"Good," Olivia nods once.

Jessica laughs quietly and then stands back up. She looks over at Grant and Skye, "So, um, I was planning on going to the senior party that they do every year, but since you guys are here, maybe you want to hang out instead?"

"You should go to your party," Grant tells her.

"Really?" she asks, her face dropping slightly.

Skye nods, "Yeah. The three of us can hang out another time. Maybe your family can join us too. I mean, I don't know if I speak for Grant, but I think I'd really like to get to know the family that took you in and loved you as part of their own family."

"You really mean it?" Jessica asks.

"We really mean it," Grant tells her. "We aren't going anywhere."

"That's really great to hear," Jessica smiles with tears in her eyes.

"Jess! You coming or what?"

"Be there in a sec!" Jessica turns and calls out to her friends. She looks back at Grant and Skye, "Um, I guess I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah," Grant nods. "Have fun at your party."

"I will, thanks," she smiles. She looks over at her family, "You guys have all my stuff, right? I can't take any of it with me to the party."

"Yes, we have all of your things," her mom nods. "You guys will be back tomorrow morning, right?"

Jessica nods, "Yeah. The bus should bring us back around eight."

"Alright, your dad will be here at eight to get you, then."

"Great. I'll see you guys tomorrow, then. Bye."

"Bye Jessie."

Jessica smiles down at her two younger sisters, "Bye." She bends down to give them both a hug, "I'll see you girls tomorrow." She presses a kiss to the top of both of their heads before turning around and making her way towards the front of the school to meet her friends.

"Sorry if this is weird for you guys," Skye says to Josh and Karen. "It's a little weird for us too."

"It is a bit strange," Karen says. "When we adopted Jessica we were under the impression that her biological parents, you two, wouldn't ever be a part of her life."

"We were under that impression too," Skye says. "I never in my wildest dreams thought that she'd come looking for us."

"Guess she's more like you than I originally thought," Grant smiles down at her.

She sighs, "So not the time right now."

"Sorry," Grant says. He looks at Josh and Karen, "We just want you to know that we have no intention of taking her from you. You are the only parents she's known, we have no right to take that away from you."

"You're right," Karen nods.

"Karen..." Josh warns his wife.

"No, Josh." She looks pointedly at Grant and Skye, "I'm fine with you two being in her life, I have no problem with that. She wants to get to know you and she's practically an adult now, she makes her own choices. But let me make something very clear, if either one of you breaks her heart, I don't care if you're her biological parents, I will make sure neither of you come into contact with her again. Am I understood?"

"Very," Grant nods.

"Good. Girls, let's go," Karen says and turns around to make her way through the parking lot.

"Coming, mommy," Meghan and Olivia say in unison, quickly following behind their mother.

"I'm really sorry about that," Josh says to Grant and Skye. "She's very protective."

"It's fine," Skye tells him. "I'm sure I would have done the same thing in her position."

"It's completely understandable," Grant tells Josh. "No need to apologize. You should probably get to your family, but I guess we'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Josh nods. "Bye."

"Bye," Grant gives him a small wave as the man turns and walks away to join his family.

"Well that was definitely interesting," Skye breathes out.

"Yes it was," Grant replies. "You know," he speaks up after a quiet moment, "sometimes I think about what it would have been like if we had stayed together and at least tried to raise Jessica."

Skye lets out a breath, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think about that too. But I try not to think about it that often, it hurts too much."

"I know what you mean," he nods. "But I was thinking, maybe we could give it another shot."

Skye whips her head to look at him with wide eyes, "What?"

"Us," he clarifies, turning fully to face her. "Not a baby. I wanted to see if, maybe, we could give us another try. I never really got over you and I miss you, Skye. I miss seeing you every day. Just one date," he tells her. "Let me take you on one date. If the spark is still there then we'll take things slowly, see where it goes. If there's no spark, fine, we'll go our separate ways while still staying a part of our daughters' life. Just please let me take you on one date."

Skye purses her lips in thought. "Where are you going to take me?"

Grant lets out a breath, "Well, I was thinking maybe we could go out to dinner. Or a movie. Or dinner and a movie."

"Dinner sounds great," Skye gives him a small smile.

"Great," he smiles back. "How does Friday night at 8 sound?"

"Perfect."

"Awesome. So I'll uh, I'll pick you up then?"

Skye smiles and nods before turning to walk away. She turns back at the last second and looks him directly in the eyes, "Don't be late."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	34. Screams of the Past

**Hey babes! Back again with a new one for ya. I think I probably had the most fun with this one because I got to play around with the shows canon, and by play around I mean change it completely. :)  
****A while back I had someone (Serenity Shadowstar) suggest a prompt to me which was: **_Skye picks up all three pieces of the staff instead of May. When she's done fighting she puts it down and looks at Ward. The look on her face breaks him. Her eyes are blank. When they get back to the hotel, Skye and Ward talk and he find out her childhood was similar and worse than his. They become closer and something more. _**So, Serenity Shadowstar, if you're still reading these one-shots, thank you for the prompt and I'm sorry it took so long to get to it. :) I think I may have differed a little from the prompt, but it's still the same basis.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Breathing heavily, Skye falls to her knees against the concrete floor of the church building, the metal staff clanging to the ground next to her as she falls forward on her hands, her long tresses hanging down in front of her face. She can feel the bile rise up in her throat as memory after memory continues to wash over the forefront of her mind.

"Oh dear," she faintly hears Simmons gasp out from somewhere near her.

Everything seems to be moving out of time as she feels two sets of hands help her up from the floor. She opens her eyes to see the concerned faces of Fitz and Simmons looking back at her.

She kindly waves them off, telling them that she's fine. She sweeps her hair out of her face and swallows, her face scrunching up at the taste of vomit in her mouth, almost making her wretch again.

She moves off to the side as people move about the church, cleaning up the mess of people lying unconscious as well as the small mess she made herself when she got sick.

"You okay?"

She lifts her head to see Ward looking at her with slight concern on his face.

She nods, "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You didn't look so fine when you collapsed just a bit—"

"I didn't collapse," she cuts him off. "My legs just got a little weak, that's all. I promise you that I'm fine."

He just looks at her for a moment before letting out a relenting sigh. "Alright. But I'm just a little curious as to why you picked up the staff. I was about to grab it to finish them off but you beat me to it."

She shrugs, "You looked pretty worn out as it was with only two pieces of the staff. If you had all three, it probably would have been worse."

"You didn't seem much better than I would have been," he says.

She sighs, "I told you already that I'm fine."

He nods, "Alright, I believe you."

She nods once, "Good." She takes a deep, shaky breath, "So, are we heading out anytime soon?"

"Yeah. We'll probably be staying at a hotel for the night before we leave," he tells her.

"Ooh," she smiles, "sounds like a fun time."

"I don't think most people associate the word 'hotel' with 'a fun time'."

"Clearly you've never been at a hotel with the right person then," she smiles at him and then walks away towards the exit of the church.

* * *

"Thought I might find you down here."

Skye looks up to see Ward approaching her at the hotel bar. She gives him a tight smile. "The only thing that has never let me down in my life is alcohol. As sad and depressing as that may sound, considering how young I still am, it's probably one of the truest statements I've ever said in my life." She lifts her glass to her lips and takes a swig.

Ward sits down next to her and orders a drink for himself. He rests his arms on the bar top and turns his head towards her, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I could definitely get used to turn down service and little mints on my pillow."

"Well, over nights aren't standard," he tells her, accepting his drink from the bartender. He takes a drink from his glass and swallows. "Do you want to talk about what you saw? When you touched the staff?" He lowers his voice slightly, "Was it about a foster home?"

She swallows thickly. "Look, I uh, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather not talk about it."

He nods, "Alright, I get it. But if you ever do want to talk, I'm here. As your S.O. it's my job to make sure you're always in the best shape, both physically and mentally. I may not be the best at showing my emotions, but I'm always here to lend an ear and listen to you. Even if you just need to vent."

She gives him a small smile, "Thanks, Ward."

He gives her a small smile back, "Anytime."

Skye downs the rest of her drink and slides the glass across the bar top. She looks at Ward, "Well, I think I'm gonna head up to bed now. Feeling kind of drained after today."

He nods, "Right, of course. I'm going to stay here and finish my drink," he holds up his half full glass.

"See you in the morning, Robot."

He gives her a small smile as she walks away, "See you in the morning, Rookie."

* * *

Stopping in front of the hotel room door two and a half hours later, Skye takes a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She wipes her sweaty palms on the front of her jeans before lifting a fist to knock on the wood.

A few seconds later the door opens to reveal Ward standing on the other side.

"Hey," she says, shifting on her feet. "So, um, did you mean what you said down at the bar? About being there if I wanted to talk?" She nervously bites her lip between her teeth.

Ward nods his head, "Yeah, of course."

She breathes out, "Cool."

It's quiet for a moment before Ward speaks up, "Was there something else?"

"Oh, um, yeah. I was maybe wondering if I could still take you up on that offer."

He gives her a hint of a smile, "Sure. Come on in."

"Great, thanks," she gives him a small smile as she steps past him into his room. She hears him close the door as she makes a beeline for the large bed. She kicks her shoes off and flops down onto it, leaning back against the headboard.

"Make yourself comfortable," Ward dead pans when he sees her.

She smiles sheepishly, "Sorry."

He shakes his head, "It's fine. I actually had a feeling you'd come by at some point tonight." He moves towards the mini fridge in the room and pulls open the door, searching inside for a moment. He emerges with a few small bottles of alcohol, holding them up for her to see. "You want one?"

She shakes her head, "No, thanks. I think I've had enough for tonight."

"Alright." He sets the bottles back inside the fridge and then shuts the door, moving over to the desk and sitting down in the chair, not wanting to crowd Skye.  
He watches as she looks down and pulls her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms tightly around them. She bites her lip between her teeth as her brows furrow together.

"Skye," he speaks up softly, "is everything okay?"

She looks up at him, "What? Oh, yeah, everything's fine."

"If everything's fine then why did you want to come and talk?"

Skye's quiet for a moment before opening her mouth, "I saw one of my foster homes."

He stays silent, letting her speak.

"When I held the complete staff," she continues, "I saw one of my foster homes. The worst one, if I'm being completely honest. I've blocked out pretty much that whole entire experience because it was just so awful and traumatic for me, but when I touched the staff it all came rushing back full force. And it was horrible."

Ward swallows thickly, shoving down the lump forming in his throat.

"I was about six, I think," she continues, pulling him out of his thoughts. She's not making eye contact with him, instead choosing to focus on the intricate pattern of the blanket beneath her. "It was at the beginning of the summer and I was sent to live with this married couple; they weren't able to have any kids of their own, so they were considering adoption. I guess you could say I was some kind of a trial run for them."

"Skye," he speaks softly when he sees the look on her face. "You don't have to tell me this if it's too difficult or painful for you."

She shakes her head, "No. I want to. I've just...I've never actually talked to anyone about any of this since it happened."

He nods, "Alright. Well, just take your time."

She nods. "Everything was really great at first while I was there," she begins to explain after a moment. "The woman was so caring and always played with me when she wasn't busy with something else; she was everything I thought a mother should be. The man was a provider, very protective, everything I imagined a dad to be. They were completely perfect and at the time I could see myself staying there forever and calling these people my mom and dad."  
She swallows thickly, "The yelling started about a month after I got there. I don't even know what happened. The yelling wasn't directed towards me at first; I'd always just hide myself up in my room whenever they'd start screaming at each other. But eventually the yelling found its way to me. She did most of the yelling, he only yelled at me a few times. Most of the yelling consisted of her telling me how worthless I was, that it was no surprise to her why my real parents didn't want me even as a baby. Everything she said completely shattered my little six year old heart." She wipes a few stray tears from her cheeks.

Standing from the chair he'd been sitting in, Ward moves across the room to sit down next to Skye on the bed, leaning back against the headboard with his legs stretched out in front of him. He waits silently for her to continue.

"Two weeks after the yelling is when the beatings started. He was always the one to hit me; she did it a few times, mostly just slaps to the face. But most of the time it was him. He was usually drunk whenever it happened, which was almost all the time. I pretty much always had bruises covering my body and whenever anyone asked about them my foster parents just said that it was because I was clumsy. I was too scared of what they'd do to me if I tried to contradict them."

"How long were you at that place?" he asks quietly.

"About three and a half months," she replies.

"Didn't the orphanage do monthly check ins or something? Wouldn't they have noticed the bruises?"

Skye nods, "Yeah, they came once a month to check on things. They asked about the bruises on my arms and the story was always that I was just extremely clumsy. I don't know if the nuns really believed it, but they never said anything about it after the first time they visited.

"The beatings only got worse from there. He threw me a few times. Usually against a nearby wall. Once when he was really drunk he threw me down the stairs. I'm still surprised I didn't break any bones that day. I went from being completely excited about the possibility of staying there to being so scared that I was going to stay there forever and the beatings would never stop. I cried myself to sleep most nights."

"But you got out," Ward says. "How?"

"A very nice elderly neighbor," Skye says with a small smile on her face. "I hardly even remember how it all happened, I think I was groggy from my head having hit a wall, but I just remember her being there. I blacked out one minute and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a warm bed with this beautiful old woman sitting in a chair next to me with this kind smile on her face."

"She saved you," he states.

Skye nods, "Yeah. She was so sweet and so kind and I just wanted to stay with her forever. But she told me that after I was feeling better she was going to take me back to the orphanage. She said she wasn't capable of taking care of a young child full time at her age. My heart sunk because I really, really liked her."

She takes a deep breath, "So once I was a little better, she took me back to the orphanage and I stayed there for a while before I was put into another foster home. I pushed back every single memory I had of that one house; I never wanted to relive any part of it."

"But when you touched the staff…"

Skye nods, "It all came back. I just...all those memories of that house were forced back to the front all at the same time and it was just too much for me to handle."

"That's why you got sick after the fight," he says in realization.

She nods again, "Yeah. It was such a traumatic experience and it took so long for me to be comfortable in another foster home after that. I was always worried that if I did just one little thing wrong I'd get hit or yelled at."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. And that you had to relive it when you touched the staff. Are you going to be okay?"

Skye takes a shaky breath, "I think so. But uh, could I maybe, stay in here tonight? I understand if that's a little weird to ask, but I just, I don't think I want to be alone tonight."

He shakes his head, "It's fine."

"Really?"

He gives her half a smile and nods, "Really."

"Thanks."

"No problem."

Skye's quiet for a moment before she shifts in the bed and settles herself down on top of the covers.

"I'll take the floor," Ward says, moving to stand up from the bed.

"No," Skye says quickly as she shoots up in the bed, stopping him. She shrinks back down slightly. "I mean, please, don't."

Ward takes a moment to look at her, noticing her eyes that are still filled somewhat with fear. He gives her a small nod, "Alright. But only if you're okay with it."

She nods. "Please. I don't...I don't think..." she pauses to take a deep breath. "Normally I'm able to push away all my not so pleasant memories of foster homes when I sleep, but these memories are the worst. I haven't thought about them in a really long time and I don't think they'll stay away during the night."

"I get it. Are you sure you don't mind me sleeping in the bed with you?"

"I'm sure," she nods. "I actually think it'll help me sleep better knowing you're here and will keep me safe, even if it's just from my nightmares."

"I promise that I will."

"Good. I'm uh, I'm just going to use the bathroom real quick," she tells him as she stands up from the bed.

"Okay. I'll be here," he gestures to the bed as he sits down on the edge of it.

She gives him a half smile and then turns towards the bathroom, steps inside and closes the door.

While Skye is inside the bathroom, Ward shifts on the bed so he's sitting up slightly on the bed, his head resting against the headboard and his legs stretched in front of him. He can't do much except think.

He doesn't know how long he sits there thinking when the bathroom door opens again. He looks up to see Skye walking out of the bathroom, shutting off the light as she does.

She walks around to the other side of the bed and sits down on the edge before lifting the blankets and sliding in between the sheets, lying back and resting her head on the pillow.

"Feeling okay?" he asks her after a few moments of silence.

She nods. "At least, I'm feeling better than I was before. Thanks for letting me open up," she says. "I've never told anyone about that before."

"Happy I could be an ear to listen," he says back. "Now get some sleep, you're probably exhausted after everything that happened today."

"Aww," she says with a teasing smile, "I didn't know Robots had a caring setting."

Ward chuckles quietly, "It's a fairly recent system update. Now go to sleep," he repeats, ignoring her slightly shocked expression at his joke.

"Fine," Skye says after a quick moment. She wriggles around on the bed for a minute, to get comfortable, and then looks up at him when she's settled. "You're still going to be here when I wake up, right?"

He gives her a small smile and nods, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," she says and then closes her eyes, turning her head further into the pillow.

Ward just watches as her breathing slowly evens out and her face becomes more relaxed, telling him she's falling deeper asleep.

He lets out a small sigh and then relaxes against his pillow, embracing the calming quiet around him.

* * *

"No! Please! Don't! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Please!"

Ward's head shoots up from where he's sitting at the desk in his hotel room reading a book to find Skye thrashing around in the bed.

He immediately stands from the chair and rushes over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her. "Skye," he calls out, his hands reaching out for her shoulders. "Skye, wake up! You're okay, you're safe."

"Don't! Please!"

"Skye!" He grabs hold of her shoulders and gently shakes her, hoping to wake her.

"No!" Skye shouts before her eyes shoot open and her breathing increases.

"Skye," he says her name again, calmer, and stands up, moving so he's hovering above her, one of his hands on the side of her face. "Hey, you're okay, you're okay. You're safe."

Her eyes dart around before landing on him. "Grant?" she speaks up in a barely there whisper that makes her seem smaller than she is.

He nods, "Yeah, I'm here, I'm right here. You're okay." He sits back down on the edge of the bed, removing his hand from her face, "Do you remember where you are?"

Skye pulls herself up into a sitting position, "At a hotel."

He nods, "Good, good."

"I'm sorry," she says next, pulling her knees up to her chest.

Ward furrows his brows, "For what?"

"For what just happened," she tells him. "I've had nightmares before, but I haven't had one like that in a really long time. I'm sorry."

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for, okay? There's nothing wrong with having nightmares. I'm guessing it had something to do with what you told me last night." Skye nods silently. "Then it's perfectly understandable. No need for you to be apologizing."

"Thanks," she gives him half a smile. "For everything. I really appreciate it."

"No problem," he gives her a small smile. "I'm happy I could help."

"You really did," she tells him. "If I had been by myself tonight, then that probably would have been a whole lot worse. So I'm glad I had someone here to help me. Although, considering how horrible all those memories were, I'm probably still going to have nightmares once we get back to the Bus. That's definitely going to be fun," she says sarcastically.

"Well, um," he reaches behind him to rub nervously on the back of his neck, "I mean, I can help you...back on the Bus. If you want."

"You'd really do that for me?" she asks.

He nods, "Yeah. If you wake up from a nightmare, you can come find me and I can help you. Though, now that I think about it, it might be easier if we stay in the same bunk. So I can be right there if you do have a nightmare and you don't have to worry about waking up by yourself," he quickly adds when she raises an eyebrow. "Obviously we don't have to share a bunk if you aren't comfortable with that, I just thought—"

He's cut off by the feeling of Skye's lips on his cheek.

"What...?"

Skye blushes slightly and gives him a small smile, "You're being really sweet. It's nice. I think I like this side of Grant Ward."

"I think I do too," he replies.

"That's good," she smiles. "And maybe, if we're both lucky, we'll see more of him as time goes on."

Ward smiles and nods, "Maybe we will." He takes a deep breath, "Are you hungry? I think the kitchen's open now. I could order us some room service before we have to get back to the Bus later."

"That'd be nice," Skye smiles. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Anything particular that you want?"

"Nothing too heavy," she tells him. "I think I need to take it easy for a little while so my stomach can settle back down."

"Good plan," he replies, already moving for the phone. "Maybe just some toast and fruit, then?"

Skye nods. "Peanut butter on the toast, please; extra toasty."

"You got it," he throws her a smile as he dials the number for room service.

Skye waits for a moment before standing from the bed and making her way into the bathroom.

When she's finished in the bathroom, she steps back out to find Ward sitting on the bed with a book open in his lap.

"What are you reading?" she asks him as she sits down next to him.

"Just one of the books they keep here in the hotel rooms," he tells her. "Nothing too excited, but it keeps the mind occupied."

"Will you read to me?" she asks as she lies down on her side facing him.

"Um, I guess so. Do you want me to start from the beginning?"

She shakes her head, "No. You can just read from wherever you're reading. I just need something to take my mind off things."

"I understand," he nods. "Are you comfortable?"

She nods, "Mm-hmm."

"Alright." He shifts slightly on the bed to make himself more comfortable and then begins reading to her from the book.

After a few minutes, he glances down to see Skye's eyes closed and her mouth parted slightly.

Smiling to himself, he closes the book and sets it down on the nightstand next to the bed. He looks back at Skye and tentatively reaches out to brush some hair back out of her face.

Skye shifts ever so slightly in the bed when he does so, almost nuzzling her head into his hand. She lets out a small puff of air after he pulls his hand away.

A knock at the door pulls his attention from the sleeping brunette. He quietly stands from the bed and makes his way over to the door.

Pulling it open, he sees a young looking guy standing on the other side with a pushcart holding their tray of food.

"Room service," the boy says.

"Thank you," Ward offers him a polite smile.

"Would you like me to come in and set everything up for you?"

"No, thank you. My...friend fell back asleep and I don't want to disturb her."

"Of course," the boy nods.

Ward reaches down and lifts the tray off of the cart and steps back inside the room. "Thank you," he nods as he closes the door.

"Grant?"

He looks over to see Skye looking at him through half asleep eyes, her head raised up off the pillow just a hair.

"It's just the food," he tells her as he sets the tray down on the desk. "Go back to sleep, it'll still be here when you wake back up."

"Okay," she nods. "Will you come lay with me again? You're really warm."

Ward chuckles, "Yeah. Just give me a minute."

"Mm-kay." She lies her head back on the pillow and closes her eyes again.

Ward turns back to the food and makes sure everything is secure and things that need to be refrigerated are put away before turning towards the bed.

He moves across the room to the bed and lies down on top of the covers. As soon as he lies down, Skye shifts on the bed so she's right up against his side.

He stills for a moment before relaxing again and wrapping one of his arms around her to pull her in closer.

Resting his head against hers he closes his eyes and lets sleep overtake him, a small smile gracing his lips.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Skye slowly cracks her eyes open. She's about to turn around when she feels a heavy weight across her middle. She looks down to see a muscular arm and immediately panics.

Her heart calms again when the memories of the previous few hours come back into her mind.

She turns her head to see Ward lying asleep next to her. She lifts her head off the pillow to look at the clock next to the bed and checks the time, 9:16.

Doing her best to turn around, Skye pokes at his upper arm. "Ward. Ward, wake up."

Ward stirs and groans.

"Ward," she calls again. "Can you unwrap your arm from around me please? I kinda have to use the bathroom."

Ward slowly comes into consciousness, blinking a few times to get rid of the sleep on his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asks in a raspy voice.

"After nine," she tells him, resting her elbow on the bed and placing her head in her hand.

"I never sleep in this late," he says.

"Well maybe there's something wrong in your programming," she jokes. "Or some circuits are loose. You really should have someone check that."

Ward laughs quietly, "I will definitely do that." He takes a deep breath, "Now, do you want to eat the food that room service brought earlier this morning, or do you just want to go down to the restaurant and get something there?"

"Can we go to the restaurant?" Skye asks him. "I'm kinda thinking I might be able to eat more now."

"Restaurant it is," he smiles. He begins climbing out of the bed. "Do you want to use the bathroom or anything before we go downstairs?"

Skye nods her head, "Yeah. I'll be quick."

"Okay. I'll just be out here." He gestures to the bed as Skye makes her way into the bathroom.

He just sits silently on the bed as he waits for Skye to be done. He lets his mind start to wander as he waits.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opens and Skye emerges, shutting the light off as she goes.

"You ready?" she asks him.

He nods, "Yeah."

He stands from the bed and moves towards the door, Skye right behind him. He pulls the door open, allowing Skye to step out, and then steps through it, closing it tightly behind them.

They silently make their way down through the hotel and to the in-house restaurant.

Stepping through the double doors, they notice Fitz and Simmons already seated at a table, talking animatedly with one another.

"Hey guys," Skye says as she and Ward approach the table.

"Oh, hello," Simmons says, looking up at them with a small smile. "Skye, how are you feeling after yesterday?" she asks in a low voice.

"Much better, actually," Skye tells her, taking the seat next to her.

"Well that's excellent," Simmons says with a smile.

"Yeah. So, what are you two eating?"

"Just some oatmeal and toast," Simmons replies.

"Ugh. That's so boring."

"Hello, can I get either of you anything?"

Skye looks up to see a waiter standing in front of their table.

"Hi," she smiles up at him. "I would like some French toast with syrup, some bacon, some eggs, and some hash browns with a cup of coffee."

"Of course," the man nods as he writes. "How would you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled."

"And your coffee?"

"Black."

"Great. And you, sir?" The waiter turns to Ward.

"Um, just some toast with butter and coffee, please. Black, as well."

"Alright," he nods. "Your food will be out soon." He turns and walks away.

"You really drink your coffee black?" Ward asks Skye.

She shrugs, "Yeah. Why?"

"It's nothing," he shakes his head. "I just figured you for the type to add all kinds of different stuff to it."

"Yeah, well. When I first started drinking it I couldn't really afford to add much stuff to it. Eventually I just got used to the taste and now that's just how I drink it."

"Good to know," he nods.

"Good morning, everyone."

The four adults turn their heads to see Coulson approaching the table.

"Hey," Skye smiles. "Where's May?"

"She already ate a few hours ago," Coulson answers as he pulls a chair out and sits down. "She ate quickly so she could get back to the Bus to make sure it's all fueled up and ready to go when we are."

"Ah," Skye nods. "Well, unlike May, I am going to work on savoring my breakfast and really make the most of it."

* * *

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

Skye looks up from her laptop to see Ward leaning against the doorway to her bunk.

"Much better than last night," she tells him with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." He goes to walk away when Skye calls out to him again. He turns back towards her, "Yeah?"

"Well, um, I was wondering about something. You know how well I slept back at the hotel, and I'm pretty sure that those particular memories aren't just going to be a one-off sort of thing for a while. So um, if it isn't too much trouble, I was wondering if maybe, if maybe I could, possibly, sleep in your bunk with you tonight. It's totally okay if you don't want me to, but I know you offered back at the hotel, so I just thought that I'd ask, just in case that offer still stands."

Ward gives her a small smile, "No, that's fine. You're more than welcome." He lifts a hand to rub at the back of his neck, "I honestly think I'd feel a little better if you weren't alone tonight, either."

"Great," she smiles back. "So I guess I'll see you tonight, then?"

He nods, "Yeah. See you tonight. And uh, you can call me Grant, if you want."

Skye smiles up at him, "Okay. See you tonight, Grant."

"See you tonight, Skye," he smiles once more at her as he turns around and walks away to his own bunk.

...

"So, how long do you think until they start sneaking around and try to keep everything a secret?"

"Phil..."

"Oh, don't be like that, Mel. You know as well as I do that something must have happened at that hotel last night."

"Yes. But whatever it is, it's none of our business."

"Maybe so. But I've never seen Ward smile like that, or that much. I give it three months."

"...I give it two weeks."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Hope you all have enjoyed my updates this week. It was definitely fun to do. **

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	35. Ballet vs Batman

**Hey babes! Welcome back! Here's another little number for ya that I've had done for a while, just haven't actually gotten around to uploading. Found this picture a while back that instantly sparked inspiration for this gem. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"First day of ballet, Jess, are you ready?" Skye asks her four year old daughter as they walk hand-in-hand down the sidewalk, her one year old son Andy sitting comfortably on her hip.

Jessica shrugs, using one hand to play with the fabric of her pink ballet skirt. "I guess. Why do I hafta wear a skirt?" she asks her mom. "Batman doesn't hafta wear a skirt."

"I know he doesn't, angel. But the school wants you to wear a skirt," Skye tells the little girl as they approach the front of the dance school. "Plus, your daddy and I think you look very cute in it."

"I'm not cute, mommy," Jessica says seriously. "I'm a big girl."

Skye fights the smile that wants to grow on her face. "I know you are, Jess. But that doesn't mean you can't be cute too. I'm a big girl and daddy still thinks I'm cute."

"He has to. You're married."

Skye laughs quietly. "Yes, I suppose you're right." Skye smiles down at her daughter and then lets go of her hand briefly to open the door.

Jessica steps inside in front of Skye, her ballet shoes covered feet shuffling across the floor.

"Wow," Skye breathes out when they step inside, "this is a really nice place."

"Hello."

Skye turns her head to see an older woman with grey hair pulled up into a tight bun approaching her.

"Hi." Skye gives her a small smile as she grabs Jessica's hand in hers again. "You must be Mrs. Kramer."

The woman nods. "The one and only. But please, call me Diane."

"Well, Diane, I'm Skye, and this is Jessica." She looks down at her daughter. "She's the one who's starting in your class today."

Diane smiles down at Jessica. "Hello, sweetheart. I'm very excited to have you in my class. Are you excited?"

Jessica shrugs. "I guess."

"Well then we'll just have to see about getting you more excited," Diane says. She looks back up at Skye. "Are you going to be sitting in on the class today?"

"If it's not any trouble," Skye replies.

"Oh not at all," Diane tells her. "We usually have one or two parents sitting in on a class. More so on the first day than any other. Will anyone else be joining you besides this cutie?" she smiles at Andy.

"Nope, just me and Andy," Skye says.

"Daddy's at work," Jessica supplies.

Skye nods. "Yes he is. But he asked me to take lots of pictures of you dancing so that he can look at them at home later."

"That's a great plan," Diane says. "Now then, shall we get to class? Come with me, sweetie." Diane holds her hand out to Jessica.

"Go on, Jess." Skye gently nudges her daughter after receiving a hesitant look from the young girl. "Your brother and I will be right in. I'm just going to call daddy and let him know that we're here."

"Okay." Jessica grabs her teachers' hand and follows her into the dance room.

Reaching into her pocket, Skye pulls out her cell phone, unlocks it, and quickly dials Grant's number. She holds the phone up to her ear and waits for it to ring.

_"Hello?"_

She smiles. "Hey, babe."

_"Skye, hey. Everything alright?"_

She nods. "Yeah, everything's fine. Just wanted to call and let you know that we are at the dance school."

_"And how is it?"_

"It's a really nice place."

_"I meant the class."_

"Oh, right. It hasn't actually started yet, we just got here. But Jess is in there right now getting ready, I think. I'm going to stay and watch the class, take some pictures for you to see later."

_"Thank you."_

She smiles. "No problem. I'm going to go now; I just wanted to let you know we were here. We'll see you at home."

_"I love you."_

"I love you too. Andy, say bye to daddy." She holds the phone near the baby's mouth.

"Dada!" Andy shouts into the phone.

_"I love you, Andy,"_ Grant says.

Skye pulls the phone away from her son and holds it back to her ear. "I love you, babe. Now get back to work."

He chuckles._ "Alright, bye."_

"Bye."

Pulling her phone down, she ends the call and shoves the device back into her pocket.

She looks at her son and smiles at him. "Should we go inside and watch sister?" Andy just babbles in response, reaching for Skye's necklace.

Skye smiles. "I'll take that as a yes." She presses a kiss to the baby's cheek before making her way inside the rehearsal room.

Moving over to the far side of the room where she sees a bunch of other adults, Skye sits down on one of the padded benches, shifting Andy into her lap and setting his diaper bag down at her feet.

"He's adorable."

Skye turns her head to see a red-haired woman sitting next to her, a small smile on her face. Skye gives her a smile back. "Thanks."

"How is old he?"

"Just turned one," Skye replies. She looks down at her son. "Andy, can you say hi to the nice lady?"

Andy just looks up at the other woman, then reaches a hand out towards her.

The woman smiles and takes hold of Andy's hand, giving it a small shake. "Hello, handsome." She looks back at Skye. "He's absolutely precious."

"Thanks," Skye replies. "His dad and I think so too. I'm Skye, by the way."

"Heather," the woman replies. "Is this your first time at a ballet class?"

Skye nods. "Mm-hmm. You?"

"Second year, actually. My little girl Lauren is the cute little red head at the front of the line at the bar, looking so concentrated and everything."

"She's adorable," Skye says with a smile.

Heather smiles back. "Thank you. Which one's yours?"

Skye turns her head to scan the line, looking for her daughter. "Jessica is..." She lets out a deep sigh before she continues, "the one hanging upside down on the bar."

"Mommy!" Jessica shouts from across the room when she sees her mom looking in her direction. "Mommy, look!"

"I see you, baby girl," Skye says back. "Please get down from there before you hurt yourself."

"But I'm just like Batman," Jessica retorts.

Skye closes her eyes and groans inwardly. This is going to be a long class.

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to know your thoughts.**

**Also, I'm doing another Q&amp;A for New Year's, just like I did last year. So if any of you out there have any questions for me about anything; my life, my like and dislikes, my fics, etc., just leave them in a comment down below or PM me, or even send them to my inbox on tumblr: skyeward-otp. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	36. Last Moments

**Hey babes! Back again with a new one-shot for ya. Been sitting on this one for a while because I wasn't quite satisfied with it. But I think I am now. Not too sure about the title, but it'll have to do. The prompt I found for this one was: **_Person B knowing they're undoubtedly about to die within next few seconds, likely from gaping wound they're bleeding out from. Instead of calling for help they phone Person A and carry on a casual conversation as if nothing is wrong, making sure to mention how much they love them before their time runs out. _

**So, yeah. Don't hate me. Enjoy!**

* * *

Clawing at the muddy ground beneath him, Grant pulls himself up into a seated position against the aging wall next to him, his hand pressed tightly against his side and his teeth gritting together in pain.

Letting out a pained breath, he reaches into his pocket to pull out his cell phone, taking a moment to stare at the photo on his lock screen, remembering that moment as if just happened a few days ago as opposed to a couple of years.

After a minute, he unlocks the device and goes into his contacts, finding the first of only two numbers in his favorites section.

Hitting the speaker button, he waits with bated breath for the other person to pick up.

_"Hello?"_

He can't help the smile that forms on his lips at hearing her cheery voice ring through the speaker. "Hey, beautiful."

_"Grant? Why are you calling? Is everything okay with your mission?"_

He nods his head slightly. "Yeah, everything's fine. I've got a little bit of down time right now and I just wanted to hear your voice, that's all."

_"You've turned into such a big sap the last few years. You know that, right?"_

"Only for you, Skye. You know that as well as everyone else."

Skye lets out a small laugh. _"Alright, super spy. So how's the mission going?"_

"You know I can't tell you that."

She sighs. _"I know, I know. It's on a strict need-to-know basis. But we both know that I could totally just hack the system right now and figure everything out on my own anyways."_

"Yes, you could. But you won't. Because you actually like not having to wear a tracking bracelet that doesn't let you use any electronics."

_"Ugh! Don't remind me about that. It was pure torture. The absolute worst."_

Grant chuckles, immediately regretting it when a sharp pain shoots up his side. He closes his eyes for a minute and screws his face up.

_"Grant? Babe, you still there?"_

"Yeah, I'm still here." He lets out a breath. "Remind me to tell you about the time when I was captured on a mission in Russia, then you'll know what torture is like."

_"Hey, we all have our own things that make us tick,"_ she tells him.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Feeling the blood continuing to seep through his fingers, Grant presses down just a little harder. "Hey, Skye. You know I love you, right? And that I'm really glad you believed in me all those years ago and convinced Coulson to give me a second chance."

_"Of course I do, babe. Why are you telling me all of this? Is there something you aren't telling me? Because I swear, if you—"_

"No," he cuts her off with a small shake of his head. "Everything's fine. I promise you, everything's fine. I just wanted to tell you how much I love you. I don't think I say it enough."

_"You say it plenty, believe me."_

He smiles. "Yeah, I suppose I do."

"_Oh, hey. Don't forget. We have that appointment with the realtor next weekend. So when you get back I need you to check all that important stuff that you said you were going to do before you left but never actually did."_

"I know, I'm sorry. I promise I will do that as soon as I get back."

"_Good. Hey, I have to hang up now because I was right in the middle of the something important when you called."__  
_"Okay. I love you, Skye, so much."

"_I love you too, babe. I'll see you when you get home."__  
_He smiles sadly. "Yeah, bye."

_"Bye."_

Pressing the end call button, Grant lets his body slump down against the wall. His hand starts to shake as he goes back to the main phone screen, tapping the icon linked back to base for an emergency extraction.

Taking a deep, shaky breath, Grant closes his eyes and allows his body to relax, his cell phone clattering to the ground as his hand goes lax.

* * *

A knock on the wooden frame of the bunk door has Skye looking up from her laptop from her place sitting cross legged on hers and Grant's bed.

She smiles when she sees the older man standing in the doorway. "Coulson, hey. What's up?"

"I uh, I have something important that I need to tell you about War—about Grant."

Skye's eyes go wide. "Is Grant back early? Because he's not supposed to be back until next week and he just—"

"No," Coulson cuts her off, shaking his head. "He's not back. Well, not really."

Skye furrows her brows. "What do you mean? Coulson, what's going on?"

Coulson sighs and steps further into the room, stopping next to the edge of the bed. He takes a deep breath before speaking, "Earlier today we received a transmission from one of the apps you created for emergency extraction that we installed in all field agents' phones."

Skye nods slowly. "Okay. And...?"

"It was from Grant's phone."

Skye's entire body tenses. "Coulson, what the hell is going on?" she asks quietly, yet sternly, hot tears brimming at her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Skye," Coulson says with tears brimming his own eyes. "By the time the extraction team got there it was too late. There was nothing that they could do for him. I'm so sorry."

Skye lets out a choked sob, one hand going up to cover her mouth as the tears start to fall from her eyes. "No." She shakes her head vehemently. "No, you're wrong.

He's not—he can't be. He can't be. Do you understand me? He _can't_ be dead. Not now. Not now. Please. No."

"I'm so sorry," Coulson says softly, kneeling down and pulling Skye into his arms.

Skye fights back at first, hitting her fists against his chest in protest as she shouts in anger before ultimately collapsing against him and letting the tears flow freely.

"I've got you," Coulson says as he cradles the back of her head. "Shh, I've got you."

* * *

"We're so sorry for your loss."

"Thank you," Skye says with a blank face to the agents before her. She looks down at the ground, digging the toe of her shoe into the wet grass.

"Skye."

She looks back up to see Jemma and Fitz standing in front of her, their hands locked together, their one and a half year old son sitting comfortably on Jemma's hip.

"Do you want us to stay with you?" Jemma asks her.

Skye shakes her head. "No, thanks. I'll be fine."

"Alright, well, we'll be over at the car when you're ready to go."

Skye nods. "Yeah, okay."

The two scientists turn to walk away when Skye calls out again, her eyes staring ahead of her out at the overcast sky.

"You didn't have to come here. I know you guys hated him, and me for being with him. And the fact that your son practically worshipped the ground he walked on."

"We don't hate you, Skye," Fitz tells her. "We could never hate you. Even though it's been years since everything happened, it's been hard for us to come to terms with everything, that's all. Especially once he started working for SHIELD again. It wasn't an easy thing for us."

"Yeah, well, he's gone now. So there's nothing for you to come to terms with anymore. You should be happy."

"We aren't happy," Jemma tells her. "Just because we didn't particularly like Ward doesn't mean that we wanted something like this to happen to you. We care about you, Skye."

"'Kye!"

Skye turns her head and gives the little boy on Jemma's hip half a smile. "Hey, Noah."

Noah gives her a wide grin before shoving his fist into his mouth.

Jemma presses a kiss to the side of her son's head before looking back at Skye. "We'll see you at the car."

Skye turns away as Fitz and Jemma walk towards the other end of the cemetery towards the line of cars.

She takes a few steps forward until she's directly in front of the freshly filled grave, the clean cut headstone standing tall in the grass.

"I miss you," she speaks up after a moment. "A lot." She looks down and plays with the diamond ring on her finger. "I want to be mad at you. I want to be so damn furious at you right now. You weren't supposed to die on that mission, Grant. We were supposed to get married in a month and move into the house of our dreams and now you're gone and I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't think I can move into that house without you, it wouldn't feel right. Nothing feels right anymore. Everything feels off, like somehow the universe knows that you should be here with me instead of being six feet underground." She fights back the tears.

"I know you'd want me to move on, to find someone else and be happy. You've always wanted me to be happy, even if you didn't think I'd be with you, you wanted me to be happy. But I honestly don't think that I can. I don't think that I can move on and be happy. You were going to be it for me, Grant, no one else. I love you so damn much, Grant Ward. And uh, I was going to tell you about this when you got back after your mission, I had a whole big dinner planned to tell you because I knew you'd be thrilled. But now I can't tell you. Not really."

She reaches inside her coat pocket and pulls out a small piece of photo paper, slowly turning it around so the image is facing the headstone. "I'm pregnant," she says through the many tears that have started falling down her face. "I know that you would have been such an amazing dad, Grant. You would have loved this kid with your whole heart and probably would have spoiled them rotten to the point where I'd end up being the bad guy." She lets out a small laugh through her tears. "I promise I'll tell our baby all about you, and how completely incredible and amazing their daddy was." She bends down and places the photo at the base of the headstone.

She traces her fingers across the engraved letters of his name. "You were the love of my life, the only one for me. I'm going to miss you so much, every single day, for the rest of my life."

Leaning forward, she presses a kiss to the top of the headstone before standing up.

Casting one final glance at the headstone, she turns around and walks away, making her way towards where the team is waiting for her.

Climbing into the backseat of one of the town cars, she smiles when Noah crawls across the seat into her lap and calmly rests his head on her shoulder, grabbing a lock of her hair in his tiny hand to play with as the car begins pulling out of the cemetery.

Skye just holds the little boy close to her, burying her face in his shoulder as she lets the tears fall down her cheeks, staining the dark fabric of her jeans.

* * *

**Don't hate me! Let me know your thoughts in a review down below. I'd love to know what you think.**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


	37. Darling, It's Better

**Hey babes! New little one-shot for ya. This one was inspired by a post I found on Pinterest a while back and I thought it was pretty great. So I wrote this. Had a little trouble coming up with a title, but I eventually picked something and I hope it works. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"Hey, Grant, you coming out with us tonight?"

"Out where?" Grant asks his group of friends, not looking up from his laptop, continuing to type.

"That karaoke bar in town."

Grant looks up at his friend and raises an eyebrow at him. "A karaoke bar? Seriously, Trip? Our first weekend at college and you guys all want to go out to a karaoke bar?" He looks at each of his friends.

Hunter shrugs. "There's supposed to be a lot of girls there."

Grant nods. "And there it is."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hunter replies.

Grant shakes his head. "Nothing, really. Just that it seems like you guys are always looking for an opportunity to meet girls and nothing else."

"Well why shouldn't we be doing that?" Trip replies. "None of us are looking for a lasting relationship, exactly. We just want to go out and have some fun while we can."

"Well you can count me out of your little endeavor," Grant says, turning back to his desk.

"Seriously? Come on, Grant. You know you'll have a lot of fun there."

"No, I probably won't," he replies. "I'm not really a singer."

"You don't have to be. Just come with us, have a few drinks, maybe get a few numbers from some very attractive women, and try to enjoy yourself."

Grant shakes his head. "Nope. I'm not going."

* * *

"I can't believe I let you guys convince me to come here," Grant mutters as he and his friends make their way inside the karaoke bar. He immediately takes notice of the small group of women on stage singing a song he vaguely recognizes.

"Don't be like that, man," Trip says to him. "We'll get some drinks, sit down, listen to what's going on, and maybe sing a few songs a little bit later."

Grant shakes his head. "No. I am not getting up there. There's only one way I'll get up there and I'm sure it won't ever happen."

"Never say never, my friend," Trip tells him, clapping him on the back. "Let's go find a place to sit."

"Yeah, fine." Grant reluctantly follows his friends through the club, locating an empty table just big enough for all of them in the center of the room.

They all get seated and quickly order drinks and various snacks, starting to talk with one another.

Grant's attention is quickly drawn back to the group of women on stage singing together. As he listens, he can't help the small smile that grows on his face when he recognizes what song they're singing; _I'll Make a Man Out of You_ from _Mulan_.

"Hey, Trip," Grant speaks up to his friend, not taking his eyes off the stage, or one brunette in particular singing with extra passion.

"Yeah?" Trip replies.

"I think I might get up and sing at some point tonight."

Trip smiles. "Really? That's great. What changed your mind?"

Grant glances at his friend before smiling back over at the stage. "Guess you could say I've been inspired."

.

.

.

"Hello there, kind sir," Grant says to the man running the karaoke system off to the side of the club. "I'd like to sing Track 48, please."

The man just gives him a look. "Bro, you sure you really want to sing that song?"

Grant gives him a tight smile and nods. "I'm sure."

The man sighs. "Alright. Good luck, man."

"I don't need it, but thanks anyways." He turns and makes his way up onto the stage, grabbing the microphone out of the stand and moving the stand off to the side. He moves back to the center of the stage and holds the microphone up in front of his mouth.

"Good evening, everybody. My name is Grant and this song I will be singing tonight is dedicated to the absolute number one girl in my life, Amanda, even though she isn't here. It's also for that wonderful group of ladies who was up here earlier; you all inspired me to actually get up here and do this." He looks off to the side. "The music, please."

A second later the music starts, a few whoops and hollers coming from Grant's friends.

Smiling wide, Grant stands up straight, holds the mic up to his lips, and begins singing.

**The seaweed is always greener  
****In somebody else's lake  
****You dream about going up there  
****But that is a big mistake  
****Just look at the world around you  
****Right here on the ocean floor  
****Such wonderful things surround you  
****What more is you lookin' for?**

He casually paces back and forth across the stage, singing out to the crowd.

**Under the sea  
****Under the sea  
****Darling it's better  
****Down where it's wetter  
****Take it from me  
****Up on the shore they work all day  
****Out in the sun they slave away  
****While we devotin'  
****Full time to floatin'  
****Under the sea**

He hops down off the front of the stage, going over to the table where his friends sit. He stops right next to Hunter and leans his arm on the man's shoulder.

**Down here all the fish is happy  
****As off through the waves they roll  
****The fish on the land ain't happy  
****They sad 'cause they in their bowl  
****But fish in the bowl is lucky  
****They in for a worser fate  
****One day when the boss get hungry  
****Guess who's gon' be on the plate?**

He pushes off of Hunter's shoulder and walks around again through the room, singing to a few of the people around him as he goes.

**Under the sea  
****Under the sea  
****Nobody beat us  
****Fry us and eat us  
****In fricassee  
****We what the land folks loves to cook  
****Under the sea we off the hook  
****We got no troubles  
****Life is the bubbles  
****Under the sea (under the sea)  
****Under the sea (under the sea)  
**

**Since life is sweet here  
****We got the beat here  
****Naturally (naturally)  
****Even the sturgeon an' the ray  
****They get the urge 'n' start to play  
****We got the spirit  
****You got to hear it  
****Under the sea**

He moves over to where the group of girls from earlier is sitting and sits down on the end of their booth bench, singing to them with a smile.

**The newt play the flute  
****The carp play the harp  
****The plaice play the bass  
****And they soundin' sharp  
****The bass play the brass  
****The chub play the tub  
****The fluke is the duke of soul  
****(Yeah)  
****The ray he can play  
****The lings on the strings  
****The trout rockin' out  
****The blackfish she sings  
****The smelt and the sprat  
****They know where it's at  
****An' oh that blowfish blow**

As the musical interlude starts to play, Grant tosses a wink at the brunette sitting next to him before standing up and moving away from the booth.

He makes his way around the club once more, doing ridiculous dance moves to the music.

As the interlude comes to a close, he jumps back up on the stage, standing front and center.

**Yeah, under the sea (under the sea)  
****Under the sea (under the sea)  
****When the sardine  
****Begins the beguine  
****It's music to me (it's music to me)  
****What do they got? A lot of sand  
****We got a hot crustacean band  
****Each little clam here  
****Know how to jam here  
****Under the sea  
****Each little slug here  
****Cuttin' a rug here  
****Under the sea  
****Each little snail here  
****Know how to wail here  
****That's why it's hotter  
****Under the water  
****Ya we in luck here  
****Down in the muck here  
****Under the sea**

When the final note of the song hits, Grant throws a fist in the air in time with it.

A second later, the entire room bursts into applause, the loudest of the cheering and hollering coming from his friends.

Smiling, Grant makes his way down off the stage and back over to his friends.

"Dude, that took some serious balls to do," Hunter tells him.

Grant sits down in his seat and looks at Hunter. "You're so strange, but thanks. I just figured if a group of girls can get up there and sing Disney song after Disney song, what's wrong with me getting up there and singing one?"

"Well I got the whole thing on video for you," Trip tells him. "I'm sure Mandy will love to see it."

Grant deadpans. "You're the greatest, Trip, a true friend."

Trip chuckles. "You're the one who got up there and sang, man. I just recorded the entire thing for posterity."

"Hey."

Turning his head, Grant sees the same brunette from earlier standing in front of him.

"Hey," he says back. "You were one of the girls singing Disney songs up on the stage earlier."

She nods. "I was. My name's Skye."

"Grant," he replies.

"I know. You were the guy who just did a near perfect rendition of _Under the Sea_."

"Near perfect?" he asks.

Skye nods again. "Mm-hmm. Those dance moves could really use some work."

"I'll have you know that my dance moves are awesome," he says with a small smile. "Amanda thinks I'm the best dancer ever in the entire world."

Skye raises an eyebrow. "Oh really. And has this Amanda actually ever seen you dance before? Because I'm sure she'd change her mind."

"She's seen me dance," he tells her. "But I don't think she'll change her mind. At least, not for a few more years."

"You seem pretty confident about that."

"Oh I am," he says.

"Well your girlfriend seems like a very lucky girl," she tells him.

All of Grant's friends immediately burst out laughing.

Skye furrows her brows. "What's so funny?"

"Amanda's not his girlfriend, love," Hunter tells her.

"She's not?"

Grant shakes his head. "Nope. She's my sister. My six year old sister."

Skye's face instantly reddens. "Oh my goodness. I am so sorry for just assuming like that. I feel like such an idiot right now."

"It's fine," Grant tells her with a smile. "It's my fault for not clarifying before; sometimes I forget that other people don't already know that. You've got a really nice voice, by the way. I heard you singing pretty loud when my friends and I came in."

"Thanks," she says. "So do you. Bold choice too, going with _Under the Sea_."

Grant chuckles and nods. "Yes. Well, Mandy's kind of in this phase right now where she's completely obsessed with everything having to do with _The Little Mermaid_. She makes me watch the movie with her all the time so I've kind of memorized the songs without really intending to do so."

"Well you're a very good big brother for watching that movie with her whenever she wants."

"Thanks," Grant says with a smile. "She's sad that I'm away at school now, but I think most of it is because I'm not there to watch it with her."

Skye smiles and laughs. "I'm sure that's not the only reason. But hey, once Thanksgiving hits you'll be seeing her again. You are going to go home for Thanksgiving, right?"

Grant nods. "Yes, I will be."

"Skye! Get over here!"

Skye looks over her shoulder to her friends. "I'll be right there. Give me a second." She looks back at Grant. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

"Oh, yeah, no, go, it's fine. You're here with your friends, go have fun with them."

Skye slowly starts to back away. "Great, thanks."

"Of course."

"It was really great to meet you, Grant," she says as she turns to walk back towards her friends.

He gives a small nod as he watches her go. "Likewise."

* * *

"I still can't believe this actually happened, man," Trip says to Grant. "Out of all of us it happened to you first."

"Why is that such a big deal?" Skye asks from her chair right next to Grant, their hands entwined together.

"Oh, maybe because in high school Grant never really seemed to be into girls very much. Lot of people there thought he was actually gay."

"I went on dates with girls," Grant tells his friends.

"Yeah, but not with any of the girls from our school," Trip replies.

"That's because all the girls at our high school were stuck up and snobby. I wanted to go out with people who were real. Like Skye is." Grant turns his head and smiles at the woman sitting next to him.

"Grant!"

Turning his head, Grant smiles when he sees his sister running towards him, a wide smile on her face.

"Hey, Mandy," he says to her. "I don't think I told you earlier, but you look very beautiful."

"Thanks," the little girl says back with a smile. She turns her attention on Skye. "Hi."

Skye smiles. "Hey, sweetie."

"Grant said you're my sister now because he's my brother and you married him."

Skye smiles and nods. "He's right. You and I are sisters now. What do you think about that?"

"I like it," Amanda says with a smile.

"Me too," Skye says back. "I've never had a sister before."

"Me neither."

"Well then we're going to have to make sure to do everything that sisters do and have tons of fun together."

Amanda smiles. "Yeah."

"Hey, Mandy," Grant speaks up to his sister.

"Yeah?"

"Is it okay if I steal Skye away for a dance?"

"Okay."

He smiles. "Great." He looks over at Skye. "Would you care to dance with me, Mrs. Ward?"

Skye smiles back. "I would love too, Mr. Ward."

Grant stands up from his seat, grabs Skye hand in his to pull her up from her seat, and leads her out onto the dance floor.

Wrapping their arms around one another, Grant and Skye begin to sway to the music, getting completely lost in one another.

"You know, I still can't believe I let you convince me that a Little Mermaid theme was a good idea for our wedding."

"First of all, it's not Little Mermaid, not really. I'd call it more of an underwater or nautical type of theme. And it's not even that heavy of a theme, just subtle hints throughout the décor."

Grant nods. "Right. But I'm still a little confused as to why the underwater theme."

"It makes sense," she tells him. "We first met after you sang _Under the Sea_ at that karaoke bar."

"That we did." He smiles wide. "Best decision I ever made."

"Even better than the one where you asked me to marry you?" she asks.

"Well if I hadn't gone to that karaoke bar in the first place and chosen to get up and sing, you never would have come over and introduced yourself. And then I wouldn't have fallen madly in love with you right then and there."

"You did not," she says, a small smile on her lips.

"Okay, maybe I didn't fall in love right there, but I definitely felt something for you and wanted to get to know you better."

Skye smiles up at him. "And that's exactly what you did."

He smiles back and leans down to press a kiss to her lips. "Yes it is."

* * *

**So? What did you think? Let me know in a review down below. I'd love to hear your thoughts.**

**Also, working on something kinda fun, and I'd love to have your help with it. When you leave a review, just let me know a reason why you love Skyeward. I know why I ship/love them, now I wanna know why you do too. :)**

**Until next time,  
Jellybean96 out!**


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